Clanton, AL Water Damage Restoration and Storm Help

Drivers on Interstate 65 know Clanton by the peach-shaped water tower the city put up in 1993, a nod to Chilton County growing more than 80 percent of Alabama's peaches. The town sits about 558 feet above sea level near the geographic center of the state, roughly 40 miles from Montgomery and 53 from Birmingham, where the last foothills of the Appalachians give way to the flatter Black Belt to the south and west.

Being in the middle of the state means Clanton catches a little of everything: Gulf hurricanes that are still dumping rain when they arrive, spring squall lines, and the occasional deep freeze. The Restoration Job runs a free line answered around the clock at (888) 317-9980. We connect callers with an independent restoration provider that serves Chilton County, and that company performs the work.

Hurricanes That Reach the Middle of Alabama

Storms that come ashore on the Gulf Coast often keep enough strength to soak Chilton County a day later. When Hurricane Opal moved north just west of Montgomery in October 1995, Clanton recorded 6.30 inches of rain. Nine years later, Hurricane Ivan brought 5.26 inches to Clanton and 6.38 inches at Collins Chapel as it crossed central Alabama on September 16, 2004.

Rain like that, driven by gusty wind, finds its way through flashing, around chimneys and under shingles that were already loose. It also overwhelms gutters and pushes water against foundations. Once the storm passes, check the attic with a flashlight for wet decking or insulation, look for bubbling paint on ceilings and walk the perimeter for washouts near the slab or crawl space.

Tornado Season Along the I-65 Corridor

Chilton County sees its share of spring tornadoes. The National Weather Service surveyed an EF-1 with winds near 95 mph that tracked close to three miles through the Clanton area on the evening of March 25, 2010, and a brief EF-0 touched down near Verbena during the April 27, 2011 outbreak. Neither was among the state's most violent storms, but even an EF-1 can strip shingles, puncture roofs with limbs and shatter windows.

The water that follows matters as much as the wind. Rain that falls into an opened roof soaks ceiling drywall and attic insulation and keeps them wet long after the sky clears. Tarp openings as soon as it is safe, move furniture and electronics away from drips, and take wide photos before anything is removed. Providers offering storm damage cleanup typically combine emergency tarping, debris removal and drying.

Packing Sheds, Barns and Rural Homes

Around Clanton, plenty of property is rural: houses on wells and septic systems, manufactured homes, workshops and the packing sheds and barns tied to orchard work. These buildings have their own weak points. Wells and pressure tanks can freeze, a septic system can back up into a home after days of saturating rain, and metal outbuildings often have no gutters at all, so water pours straight against the walls.

Sewage from a backed-up septic line is a contamination issue, not just a wet floor. Porous materials it touches, such as carpet, pad and lower drywall, generally have to be removed, and the area cleaned and disinfected before drying. Keep children and pets out of the affected rooms until that is done. For manufactured homes, check under the skirting after a leak; water can pool on the belly wrap where you can't see it.

Freezes That Split Pipes

Clanton's recorded low is minus 9 degrees. Mild winters make it easy to forget about pipe protection until an arctic front arrives, and that is when lines in exterior walls, crawl spaces and pump houses freeze and crack. The break usually reveals itself during the thaw, sometimes while the family is away.

• Insulate pump houses and exposed well lines before winter.
• Leave cabinet doors under sinks open on cold nights.
• Locate the main shutoff valve now and test that it closes fully.
• If you travel during a freeze, consider shutting off the water and draining lines.

Drying Right in Central Alabama Humidity

Summer air in Chilton County carries plenty of moisture, so opening windows rarely dries a wet house; it often adds humidity instead. Effective structural drying uses dehumidifiers and air movers in a closed space, with moisture readings taken daily on walls, subfloors and framing until they reach normal levels.

Skipping that step is how mold gets started behind baseboards and under cabinets. If you already see spotting or smell mustiness, the affected materials should be contained and removed before repairs. For insurance, a burst pipe or storm-damaged roof is usually treated differently than water that rises from outside; flood coverage is a separate policy, so check what you carry before you need it.