Star Staff Reports
ROSSVILLE — SERVPRO®, a disaster recovery and cleanup Franchise System , has signed on as a national sponsor of the American Red Cross Ready Rating™ program, a free, web-based program designed to help businesses, organizations and schools become better prepared for emergencies, according to Lee Fowinkle, owner of SERVPRO® of Fayette, Tipton, Haywood and Hardeman Counties in Rossville. “This partnership just makes perfect sense,” said Fowinkle, “and truly completes the readiness equation for businesses and other property owners in the Rossville area. The Red Cross Ready Rating Program allows individuals to assess their readiness for a disaster, so they can take all necessary steps before disaster strikes to protect their property from damage and loss. But, when disaster does strike, knowing what to do and who to call saves time – and fast response is key to minimizing damage and downtime. That’s where SERVPRO’s Emergency READY Program can help. Together, these two programs offer maximum peace of mind to businesses and other organizations.” “Through the generosity of SERVPRO, the Red Cross will help empower workplaces to re-open more quickly after natural or man-made disasters such as water main breaks, medical emergencies, power outages, tornados, floods and hurricanes through the Ready Rating Program,” said Tom Heneghan, manager of Business Continuity Programs for Red Cross. “Up to 40 percent of businesses never re-open their doors after such disasters; SERVPRO’s partnership will enable more businesses, schools and organizations to become better prepared. We are excited to have SERVPRO join us in community outreach efforts to educate and highlight the importance of community preparedness in neighborhoods across the country.” With the approaching spring season comes the threat of severe weather – such as high winds, downpours, flash flooding, fires caused by lightning strikes and even tornadoes spawned by thunderstorms. SERVPRO® urges all Rossville property owners to visit the Red Cross Ready Rating website now at http://readyrating.org to complete a 123-point self-assessment of their level of preparedness for weather-related or other emergencies. Aligned with the federal government’s Private Sector Preparedness standards, the Ready Rating assessment offers businesses, organizations and schools access to tools, tips and best practices to help improve their level of preparedness. Fowinkle says key to the program are the following Five Essential Steps to Preparedness – the cornerstones of the Ready Rating program: 1. Commit to Preparedness 2. Conduct a Hazard Vulnerability Assessment 3. Develop an Emergency Response Plan 4. Implement your Emergency Response Plan 5. Help Your Community Get Prepared “The time to prepare for a disaster is before it happens,” said Fowinkle. “Taking steps to make your property as secure as possible, then having a plan to deal with the aftermath if disaster does strike is just good business and common sense. At SERVPRO of Fayette, Tipton, Haywood and Hardeman Counties, we can help you create a disaster recovery plan now, specific to your facility, so that – if you need us – we can help you get back in business fast.” SERVPRO® of Fayette, Tipton, Haywood and Hardeman Counties specializes in disaster restoration, cleanup and repair services, helping to remediate damage, making it “Like it never even happened,” for both commercial and residential customers. Rossville area residents are encouraged to contact Lee Fowinkle of SERVPRO® of Fayette, Tipton, Haywood and Hardeman Counties at (901)850-1558 or [email protected] or visit www.SERVPRO.com for information on readiness resources including SERVPRO’s free Ready Plan Mobile Application, available on all smartphones. For more information about the App, visit www.servpro.com/ready.
For more information on the Red Cross Ready Rating program, please visit http://readyrating.org/.
