SERVPRO Restores Property and Contents After Fire Damage in New York City

11/30/2020 (Permalink)

Call the experts at SERVPRO when your New York City property is damaged by a fire.

Local New York City Property Owners Can Count on SERVPRO To Arrive Quickly, Every Time

Almost everyone knows the area around New York City was purchased from the indigenous people who inhabited that land, and then the incoming settlers developed the region over the years. Around the end of the 1800s, there were over 40 independent municipalities around the vicinity, and the result was chaos and the massive problem of no cooperation between communities. 

In 1898, the Charter of New York got drafted and joined the five boroughs: 

• Brooklyn
• Staten Island
• Queens
• The Bronx 
• Manhattan 

This made New York the largest city in the United States. This combination of the boroughs brought a celebration one hundred years later with the largest fireworks display in history. The bringing together of the boroughs spurred on contests between the builders to see who could build the tallest skyscraper. Each time a structure got crowned as the tallest building in New York, another architect with a vision outdid the current record. This led to the design of numerous structures still standing today, including: 

• Flatiron Building
• Woolworth Building
• Chrysler Building 

All designated as the tallest structure for a short time. By the end of 1902, New York was home to nearly 70 skyscrapers. In the present, the five tallest buildings in NYC are One World Trade Center at 1,766 feet, Park Avenue standing at 1,396 feet, the Empire State Building which tops out at 1,250 feet, the Bank of America Tower at 1200 feet, and Three World Trade Center at just over 1000 feet in height. 

Attention on Workers' and Women's Rights in New York City

The Industrial Age in New York City brought terrible working conditions, including low pay, extended working hours, and employers that could behave abusively towards workers without any type of reprisal. This lack of worker rights culminated in the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. 

Poor practices in the factory of stacking up piles of fabrics led to the deaths of 150 women who were trapped after the owners locked them inside. This tragedy led to sweeping labor reforms after 20,000 female garment workers drew attention to the need for regulations after they marched on City Hall. 

Birth of the Age of Jazz and Organized in New York City

When Prohibition outlawed the sale of alcohol, the rise of bootlegging and speakeasies where liquor got sold illegally also gave rise to organized crime. Jazz kicked off strongly after the Great Migration from the South led to the Harlem Renaissance when the area became the hub of African American society and culture, bringing poetry, music, and an arts community that influences and inspires in the present. 

New York City During the Stock Market Crash

When the stock market crashed in 1929, the Great Depression lasted throughout the 1930s, and New York City changed to handle the crisis. The city saw its Central Park get filled with tent communities called "Hoovervilles" after the President, who was unwilling to help the needy who had nowhere else to go. 

Bringing New York City Out of the Depression

Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia petitioned President Franklin Roosevelt to bring in relief money to rebuild New York City to greatness.  Areas such as Riverside Park and the Triborough Bridge are two of the New Deal projects that are still functioning today. 

Sunny Days and Hurricanes in New York City

The climate in New York City could be considered continental with cold winters, including snow and hot, muggy summers. The coldest average temperature in January is around 24 degrees Fahrenheit while the July summer temps average approximately 80 degrees with high humidity. An average of 25-inches of snowfall yearly during the winter.

Hurricanes and tropical storms occasionally hit the city, delivering high winds, flash floods, and other structural destruction. The most likely time for these events to occur is in August and September. Since record-keeping began 148 years ago, statistics show that the city can expect to get hit with one of these massive storms every four years on average. One of the most costly and deadly hurricanes to impact the area in recent history was Hurricane Sandy, which flooded the New York Subway System when the superstorm made landfall. With the significant number of tall buildings in the city, engineering and technology play a role in making the structures safe during storms containing high winds with advances built into the building's design such as wind dampers or only leaving floors open for the winds to pass through. 

How Can Fire Damage Odor Get Stopped From Spreading in New York City Homes?

After a fire occurs in a New York City residence, there may be little fire damage and a considerable amount of smoke odor to remove. Fortunately, the professionals at SERVPRO have the training and equipment to eradicate the odors that get left behind. 

The technicians undergo comprehensive training and have access to a large selection of equipment to remove smoke odors rather than merely cover them. 

Many specific actions need to take place to eliminate the scent of smoke in a home post-fire. Limiting the spread is one of the first actions the technicians perform, including: 

• Putting up containment to stop the potential for cross-contamination
• Use of air quality improvement measures such as using air scrubbers and negative air chambers during the restoration services
• Removal of charred and damaged items with approval to diminish odors
• The use of odor control equipment to eliminate pungent scents at the molecular level

The removal of smoke damage on surfaces also assists with limiting foul odors within homes. After performing tests on surfaces, the techs choose the type of cleaning with the best outcome based on their experience and training. The techs use proprietary formulas, some with solvents, to release the grip of thick, wet smoke as needed and restore both structure and contents through their professional cleaning methods. 

SERVPRO of Lower East Side Manhattan at (917) 423-6364 supports the local community assisting residents with any size fire damage mitigation. The techs are available 24/7 to make the home return to normal, "Like it never even happened."