Jacksonville, FL – May 7,
2010 - Paul Davis National (PDN), the large loss specialists for Paul Davis
Restoration, is providing building restoration, drying and stabilization
services for a large retailer located at Opry Mills shopping center, 433 Opry
Mills Drive in Nashville. The 140,000 square foot sporting goods store recently
experienced devastating water damage with two feet of water throughout the
structure that poured in from the recent floods. According to Howdy Russell, PDN’s
Corporate Spokesperson, the company is working with the retailer’s insurance
adjusters and store managers and staff to provide restoration and emergency
mitigation services through next week.
According to Russell, PDN
responded to the customer’s emergency call on Sunday, May 1 and responded
immediately to assess the damage. “The retailer will remain closed due to the
aftermath of extensive flooding in the Nashville area,” said Russell. “The mall
and its surrounding service roads are not open to the public. We had to access
the property by boat before the waters receded in order to determine the extent
of damage and next steps in our scope of work,” he said.
On May 3, more than 95
restoration, emergency services, and structural clean-up workers and
technicians arrived at the job site with five tractor trailers and hundreds of
pieces of large and small equipment to mitigate the flood damage. Desiccant
dehumidifiers, air movers, generators and highly-specialized drying and
contents processing equipment also arrived and are being stored in the trucks
on site. Russell expects the initial phase of the retailer’s job to be
completed by May 14. “We were the first restoration company in the shopping
center vicinity to be on site immediately and ready with full access to our own
power, heavy equipment and skilled labor,” said Russell.
“As soon as we could begin
work, PDN staff arrived at the out parcel and began site stabilization. We began
drying the interior of the building and made special arrangements for contents
processing of some very unique fixtures such as faux trees, taxidermy and elaborate
displays along with some very high-end pieces of merchandise and soft goods,” Russell
said.
“As the job progresses, we
have to keep the outside waters from coming in and dry the interior of the
building at the same time,” said Russell.
The PDN staff will be on-site everyday around the clock and will utilize
available power from diesel generators due to continuing problems with the
area’s power outages and surges. “It’s
been quite a challenge. The building was severely damaged, plus we had to contain
and control the microbial growth right away. We’re working to establish a
healthy and safe environment for the building’s ongoing use as a public area,”
he said.
According to Russell, it was
imperative that the situation be brought under control quickly and effectively
through emergency response support. “Unfortunately, the loss location is not
predictable, and therefore, a response strategy must be managed. There are many times when a situation
is critical, and immediate action is needed. This is where PDN has a tremendous
advantage,” Russell said. Russell says
documentation is the product PDN delivers to ensure efficient cost containment.
The company’s primary objective is to operate all loss sites efficiently by
establishing, in writing, its proposed tactics and techniques in advance of
implementation.
“Prior to implementing our
proposed plan of action to stabilize and restore the retail location, all
parties were aware of the proposed actions and pricing methodology. In this
case, time was critical and we had to establish an agreed upon course of action
for work necessary to alleviate the problems. Having a relationship with the
customer’s insurance company allowed all parties to make more effective and
efficient decisions and to make sure the resources are in place to meet the
demands of the situation,” he said.
Paul Davis National provides emergency services for businesses in Nashville