With the severe storms the past few days – in some areas, almost 2-inches of rain falling in 30-minutes – many customers are recovering from basement backups and overland flooding. When cleaning up, some customers will enlist the services of a professional cleaning and restoration firm. Unfortunately, some firms will use MSD’s logo on their website, as a form of endorsement, or present themselves as “MSD’s preferred provider for cleanup and restoration.” It is important for the public to know that MSD does not endorse individual cleanup and restoration firms or allow the use of the MSD logo to convey such an endorsement.
When enlisting the services of a cleanup and restoration firm, MSD encourages customers to review both the hourly rate and the number of hours needed to perform specific work. The advantages of a low hourly rate can quickly be offset or neutralized by a high number of hours.
Additionally, before enlisting the services of a cleanup and restoration firm, we encourage customers to check on a firm through a third-party, such as the Better Business Bureau.
For more information on how to prevent basement backups, what to do after a basement backup, financial assistance for basement backups, and how to contact MSD when you do have a service issue, please visit our Service Issues page at www.stlmsd.com.
More information on overland flooding can be found at our Overland Flooding and Floodplain Risk Management page at www.stlmsd.com.
MSD encourages all customer to further protect themselves by considering basement backup and flood insurance through their homeowners, renters, or other insurance policy. Specific to flood insurance, more information is available at www.KnowYourZone.org and FloodSmart.gov.