Anyone familiar with the UF campus here in Gainesville, is familiar with the Reitz Union.  This photo is of the chamber used by the student body for organizational meetings which was flooded by a faulty sprinkler system.  It also flooded offices, and hallways throughout the building.  Our technicians came in and extracted and dried out the building, so the "Gators" could resume business in "The Swamp".

The following photo is the picture of a local lab's flooded hallway.  This damaged was caused by the very thing meant to protect them from fire, a faulty sprinkler system.  Sometimes no matter how much we prepare, we still have to have a plan for when disaster does strike.  Make sure that SERVPRO of Alachua County west is a part of your disaster readiness plan!

It can be devastating when your home is a soggy mess, but water can do much more damage than you can see.  As this photo shows, it is important to remove all damaged materials as soon as you can.  As hours and days go by water wicks under and up walls and can damage initially unaffected rooms.  Though the mess of seeing flooring and baseboards being pulled up can be stressful, it can spare even more damage to other rooms.

We are all taught from the time we could dial a phone, that you call 911 in the case of an emergency.  The Heroes that make up our fire, police, sheriffs, and EMS departments keep us safe in our time of need.  But who does 911 call when their offices are in the middle of a disaster?  They call SERVPRO of Alachua County West, because they know that we are "Faster to any size disaster."

There are many water sources that can cause damage to your home that you cannot necessarily see.  Once the power of water is unleashed it has to find somewhere to go, which is evident in this photo of a slab leak.  The force of the water trying to find an escape brought sand and building materials up with it directly through the tile in the home pictured.  The best preparation in cases such as this is having the number to SERVPRO of Alachua County West handy in case of emergency!

Water damage can sometimes happen in places you normally wouldn't expect, such as evident in this photo of a supply closet.  Not only is it an area you wouldn't expect, but also in an area that may not be visible right away.  It is important to check any possible sources of water damage before they occur.