Company aids in unexpected damages to homes, businesses

Flooded homes. Fire damage. Fallen trees. These are all events that can cause extensive damage to a home and require countless hours to clean up and repair.

“You don’t schedule disasters. They just happen when they want to happen,” Melina McClure, Xpert Restoration Services DKI sales and marketing representative, said.

Xpert Restoration Services DKI is a local company specializing in one-stop disaster recovery and restoration for residential and commercial properties. The DKI stands for Disaster Kleanup International. The small local company is a franchise of a larger nationwide network. A big perk of being part of that network is the ability to call on DKI partners around the country for extra equipment and personnel as needed.

A property owner who has had water or fire damage to their home or business, or had a tree destroy a roof, knows how much time can be spent cleaning up, talking to the insurance company, and lining up contractors and materials for repairs.

“The cool thing about our company is that we do the rebuild. You don’t have to act as a contractor because our company does that,” McClure said. “That is very inviting to people that have had a disaster in their home, because you can have one company do everything.”

Shreveport resident Jana Freeman was hours away on a business trip when she learned part of her home had flooded with sewage. She called DKI and they sent a crew over immediately. The company removed the flooring, checked the home for mold growth and dried everything out.

“I’m a full-time mom and work full-time. They came in and did the complete remodel and handled everything,” Freeman said. “It was probably one of the best ‘worst’ experiences I’ve ever had.”

Most of the work done by DKI is paid with insurance claims, but insurance will only pay out so much to cover certain items. That’s another area where DKI helps with the process. Their project managers work with the insurance adjuster and the insurance company and let the customer know how much they have in their budget.

Another service offered by DKI is the “pack out” and “pack in.” That’s where the company will inventory and pack up the customer’s belongings and store them in a warehouse. DKI will also clean and sanitize any items that were damaged.

“You think of things like suitcases and shoes and your children’s toys – we can do all of that. We pack everything up and take it back to our warehouse and clean everything,” McClure said. “When your structure is ready, we bring everything back and pack it back in.”

Once Freeman’s flooring arrived, the repairs took a week to complete. The DKI crew laid the new flooring in stages, doing one section of the home at a time, so the family could still live in the house.

McClure is more than a DKI employee. She also became a customer after the Red River flooded her home this past summer. DKI removed the mud and water from her home, began the drying process with fans and dehumidifiers, and sprayed for mold and bacteria. Then the portions of the home that were not salvageable were demolished and they began to rebuild.

One lasting effect of the river flooding her home was a strong, unpleasant odor that McClure said was the result of insects and wildlife that perished outdoors near the house. The company used a newly acquired technology called TOMI SteraMist to remove the scent that had permeated her home.

TOMI SteraMist is hydrogen peroxide based and kills more than 99 percent of bacteria, mold and viruses. It can also kill bed bugs, fleas and dust mites.

“The scent that was in there was just so horrible,” McClure said. “We used the TOMI SteraMist and it’s been about two and a half months since they did it and it still smells incredibly fresh.”

DKI strives to get customers back in their homes quickly, so they bring several crews in to complete the work. For example, McClure said instead of one crew completing a job in two months, four crews can finish in two weeks.

The company also uses local companies to purchase supplies, like paint and flooring. “We try to support the local folks, because we’re a local company too,” McClure said.

– Melissa Airhart

Learn More:

Xpert DKI has a manager on call 24 hours a day and seven days a week. They can be reached at 687-2800. Go to xpertrestoreservice.dkiservices. com.