Livingston Today

Fenton & Linden Regional Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Mar 2.

According to the National Weather Service, March marks the start of the spring severe weather season: "…three months of danger that can imperil the unprepared.1"

Data published by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reveals that severe weather events are becoming more frequent and more devastating2, said Joshua Ingersoll, a disaster recovery specialist with SERVPRO of Northwest Genesee County. NOAA reports that the period from 1980-2021 saw an annual average of 7.4 "billion-dollar" weather and climate events (adjusted to today's costs). When they looked at only the five most recent years (2017-2021), the annual average grew to 17.2 events. Last year alone (2021) delivered 20 "billion-dollar" weather or climate disaster events.

"It's not unusual to see severe weather in the spring," says Ingersoll. "Whenever you have warm, moist air collides with cool, dry air, you have the conditions for creating a thunderstorm, along with the possibility of lightning strikes, floods, hail, high winds, rip currents, and even wildfires and tornadoes. The problem is, you can't prevent these severe weather events and you can't predict very far in advance when and where they will hit. The only sensible approach is to take steps in advance to protect your family and property, especially as these disasters become more common."

Ingersoll urges Flint area home and business owners to check out state and federal resources online for tips on planning and preparing for a severe weather emergency now, as the spring severe weather season arrives. One such resource is the National Center for Environmental Health of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which offers suggestions for creating an emergency kit and preparing family members for severe weather emergencies at https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/springweather/index.html.

"Each year, SERVPRO professionals across the country respond to scenes of weather-related mayhem, helping families and business owners recover from flooding, fire, wind damage and more," said Ingersoll. "While we are standing by to help whenever we are needed, we hope that our neighbors in the Flint area will heed this warning from the CDC: '…prepare for storms, floods, and tornadoes as if you know in advance they are coming because in the spring, they very likely will.'"

SERVPRO specializes in disaster cleaning, restoration, and construction services, helping to remediate damage, making it "Like it never even happened," for both commercial and residential customers. For more information on SERVPRO of Northwest Genesee County, please contact Joshua Ingersoll at (810) 732-3298 or jingersoll@servpro10647.com. For more information about SERVPRO, please visit www.servpro.com.

1 https://toolkit.climate.gov/tool/national-weather-service-national-seasonal-safety-campaign

2 https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/overview

Original source can be found here.