Hurricane Sandy!

Just last year we were helping clean up the destruction that Hurricane Irene left! Now today our crew is in New Jersey cleaning up the mess that Hurricane Sandy has left. Please keep all emergency workers and crews in your prayers!

If you want to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy here are a few organizations to help donate to! 

The Salvation Army has dozens of mobile feeding units and shelters along the East Coast that are working to serve thousands in the most heavily hit areas. Visitwww.salvationarmyusa.org to donate.

Feeding America has thousands of pounds of emergency food, water and supplies in the disaster zone that it is working to distribute to the storm's victims. To donate, visit www.feedingamerica.org or call            800-910-5524      .

AmeriCares is providing medicine and other supplies to people affected by Hurricane Sandy. To donate, visitwww.americares.org.

World Vision is distributing flood clean-up kits, personal hygiene items and emergency food kits to people hit by the hurricane. To donate, visit www.worldvision.org.

Save the Children is also working to provide relief to families and their children. Visit www.savethechildren.orgto donate.

Samaritan's Purse is asking for volunteers to help storm victims. To volunteer, visit their website.

One way to help is by donating to the Red Cross. All donations will provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to those affected by the storm. To donate, visit www.redcross.org, call 800-Red-Cross or text the word "Redcross" to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Nearly 100 Red Cross blood drives were canceled because of Sandy, so blood supplies are low in the areas affected the most. The Red Cross asks that those who can donate to schedule an appointment to give blood. The New York Blood Center is urging people to donate blood for those in the New York/New Jersey area. To donate, call             800-933-2566       or visitwww.nybloodcenter.org.

-Denea Duran

Trick-or-Treating Tips

It's that time of the year again! Time to take then kiddos out in their fancy costumes! Here are some tips to stay safe!

Trick-or-Treating Tips

• Plan your route ahead of time.
• Trick or treat in familiar neighborhoods.
• Carry a flashlight with fresh batteries after dark.
• Take along money for a phone call.
• Wear identification that's easy to read.
• Always trick or treat in groups, accompanied by an adult.
• Follow a curfew and take a watch with a backlight.
• Stay on the sidewalks and out of the streets. Cross only at intersections and designated crosswalks.
• Walk. No running.
• Don't trample through flower beds and gardens.
• Watch out for open flames in jack-o-Lanterns.
• Walk with your head up and be aware of your surroundings.
• Only visit well lit houses. Don't stop at dark houses.
• Don't enter any houses unless you know the people.
• Carry a spare Halloween bag, in case yours breaks or you fill your original one.
• Don't approach unfamiliar pets and animals.
• Don't cut across yards and stay out of backyards.
• Follow traffic signals and don't jaywalk.
• Always watch for cars backing up or turning.
• Review the "stop, drop and roll" procedure in case your costume catches on fire.
• Never accept rides from strangers.
• Respect other people and their property.
• Be polite and say "thank you."
• Don't eat any candy until it's inspected for tampering under bright lights.
• Avoid candy that has loose wrappings, is unwrapped, has puncture holes, or is homemade.
• Small children should not be allowed hard candy they may choke on.
• Report any suspicious or criminal activity to an adult or the police.
• Consider having a party instead of Trick or Treating.

-Denea Duran 

Content Credit: http://www.halloween-website.com/safety.htm                                                                                                                 

Lexington Oktoberfest 2012

This Saturday we'll be celebrating Lexington's German heritage, as we were founded in 1735 as "Saxe Gothe" named after Princess Augusta of the German Duchy of Saxe-Gotha.

The admission is free. Come check out the parade, and all of the vendors, free giveaways and activities for the kids! Make sure you come to our table and get some great things! See ya there


-Denea Duran

Winter Check List!

Winter Check List

• Give Space Heaters Space: As the weather gets cooler, space heaters come out of their summer hiding places, and as it turns out, they need space too. Remember to leave at least three feet of space around your heater. Unplug it when it's not being used. 

• Test your CO Detector: During cold weather, your furnace will be running and your windows will be closed. Test the carbon monoxide detector near your home's bedrooms. 

• Never Heat With an Oven: On chilly autumn mornings, avoid the temptation to warm the kitchen with a gas range or an open oven door. The un-vented products of combustion can quickly build to toxic levels. Take this as an opportunity to indulge in warm socks and robe. 

• Replace Expired Fire Extinguishers: Make sure that the fire extinguisher in your home is still good. If it has expired or discharged, be sure to replace it promptly. You dont want to be without this in case of an emergency. 

• Test Your Local Smoke Detectors: If it needs a new battery, then replace it. If the detector still does not function, replace the detector. This one shouldn't wait til later. 

• Wear Gloves While Doing Yard Work: It is the season for cleaning (isn't every season?) To help avoid blisters and other hand injuries, be sure to wear gloves while doing yard work. 

• Use Your Legs to Lift Heavy Items: Whether you are putting things away for storage or carrying garbage

Luna and Servpro supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

How could you not support a great cause! 

-Denea Duran

I am running for Lindsay

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this is worth watching for six minutes! Tell us what you think! 

http://forlindsay.com/

-Denea Duran

It's what we can do for YOU!

·        

Why choose Servpro? Why not is the question! 

Mitigation requires quick action. The faster a SERVPRO Franchise Professional arrives on site to perform clean up and restoration the better the results including lower claim costs.

·      -   Lower recovery costs: the SERVPRO system helps save money

·       -  Emergency Mitigation service helps minimize additional property damages.

·        - Restoration versus replacement of contents save heirlooms and money too.

·       -  Restorable contents will be cleaned and deodorized to pre-loss condition when possible.

·     - Commercial properties probably have an emergency exit plan in place with illuminated signs leading occupants to safety and even facility maps strategically placed to identify alternate routes out of the building. 

But have you developed a thorough Contingency Plan? Is the emphasis on the first 24-48 hours, to help you get back in your building as quickly as possible? Your local SERVPRO Franchise Professional can provide you assistance in developing an Emergency Response Profile. As part of a well thought out Contingency Plan, your Emergency Response Profile will contain information you need in the event an emergency situation occurs. 

-Denea Duran

National Fire Prevention Week

In honor of National Fire Prevention week, we wanted to share facts about home fires! It could take one step to protect your family! 

Home Fires 

• One home structure fire was reported every 85 seconds in 2010.
• Most fatal fires kill one or two people.  In 2010, 19 home fires killed five or more people. These 19 fires resulted in 101 deaths.
• In 2010, U.S. fire departments responded to 369,500 home structure fires. These fires caused 13,350 civilian injuries, 2,640 civilian deaths, and $6.9 billion in direct damage.

Escape Planning  

• According to an NFPA survey, only one-third of Americans have both developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.
• Almost three-quarters of Americans do have an escape plan; however, less than half actually practiced it.
• One-third of Americans households who made and estimate they thought they would have at least 6 minutes before a fire in their home would become life threatening. The time available is often less. And only 8% said their first thought on hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out! 
  Smoke Alarms
• Almost two-thirds (62%) of reported home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
• Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in reported home fires in half.
• In fires considered large enough to activate the smoke alarm, hardwired alarms operated 92% of the time, while battery powered alarms operated only 77%  of the time.

Content Credit: NFPA.org

-Denea Duran 

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast awareness and self-exam

Beginning in their 20s, women should be told about the benefits and limitations of breast self-exam (BSE). Women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel and report any new breast changes to a health professional as soon as they are found. Finding a breast change does not necessarily mean there is a cancer.

A woman can notice changes by knowing how her breasts normally look and feel and feeling her breasts for changes (breast awareness), or by choosing to use a step-by-step approach and using a specific schedule to examine her breasts.

Women with breast implants can do BSE. It may be useful to have the surgeon help identify the edges of the implant so that you know what you are feeling. There is some thought that the implants push out the breast tissue and may make it easier to examine. If you choose to do BSE, the following information provides a step-by-step approach for the exam. The best time for a woman to examine her breasts is when the breasts are not tender or swollen. Women who examine their breasts should have their technique reviewed during their periodic health exams by their health care professional.

It is acceptable for women to choose not to do BSE or to do BSE occasionally. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding can also choose to examine their breasts regularly.

Women who choose not to do BSE should still know how their breasts normally look and feel and report any changes to their doctor right away.

How to examine your breasts

Lie down on your back and place your right arm behind your head. The exam is done while lying down, not standing up. This is because when lying down the breast tissue spreads evenly over the chest wall and is as thin as possible, making it much easier to feel all the breast tissue.

Use the finger pads of the 3 middle fingers on your left hand to feel for lumps in the right breast. Use overlapping dime-sized circular motions of the finger pads to feel the breast tissue.

Use 3 different levels of pressure to feel all the breast tissue. Light pressure is needed to feel the tissue closest to the skin; medium pressure to feel a little deeper; and firm pressure to feel the tissue closest to the chest and ribs. It is normal to feel a firm ridge in the lower curve of each breast, but you should tell your doctor if you feel anything else out of the ordinary. If you're not sure how hard to press, talk with your doctor or nurse. Use each pressure level to feel the breast tissue before moving on to the next spot.

Move around the breast in an up and down pattern starting at an imaginary line drawn straight down your side from the underarm and moving across the breast to the middle of the chest bone (sternum or breastbone). Be sure to check the entire breast area going down until you feel only ribs and up to the neck or collar bone (clavicle).

There is some evidence to suggest that the up-and-down pattern (sometimes called the vertical pattern) is the most effective pattern for covering the entire breast without missing any breast tissue.

Repeat the exam on your left breast, putting your left arm behind your head and using the finger pads of your right hand to do the exam.

While standing in front of a mirror with your hands pressing firmly down on your hips, look at your breasts for any changes of size, shape, contour, or dimpling, or redness or scaliness of the nipple or breast skin. (The pressing down on the hips position contracts the chest wall muscles and enhances any breast changes.)

Examine each underarm while sitting up or standing and with your arm only slightly raised so you can easily feel in this area. Raising your arm straight up tightens the tissue in this area and makes it harder to examine.

This procedure for doing breast self-exam is different from previous recommendations. These changes represent an extensive review of the medical literature and input from an expert advisory group. There is evidence that this position (lying down), the area felt, pattern of coverage of the breast, and use of different amounts of pressure increase a woman's ability to find abnormal areas

Content Credit: http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/BreastCancer/MoreInformation/BreastCancerEarlyDetection/breast-cancer-early-detection-acs-recs-bse

-Denea Duran