VALDOSTA — Each year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency designates September as National Preparedness Month to promote the importance of family and community disaster planning. 

The 2020 theme is “Disasters Don’t Wait. Make Your Plan Today.” 

For disaster mitigation specialists such as Benjamin Holland of SERVPRO of Valdosta, the scope and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all aspects of everyday life, health and well-being have magnified the importance of the business’ ongoing message to the communities it serves: When disaster strikes, preparedness is the best defense, according to a company statement.

“Before COVID-19 exploded into a global crisis, disaster preparedness for the everyday home or business owner was largely dictated by the hazards unique to their location or their business,” Holland said. “For some, that meant preparing for hurricanes and water damage; for others, tornadoes, flooding, wind damage, or even wildfires. 

“But COVID-19 taught us that everyone individuals and business owners alike needs to be prepared for a national emergency that may disrupt food and medical supplies, transportation systems, schools, businesses and every single aspect of everyday life that we take for granted. We’ve learned that, no matter where you live or work, in addition to your disaster preparations, making certain that you have a stock of some basic items on hand can make a huge difference if a national or global event suddenly disrupts or even stops everyday life.”

Holland emphasized everyone still needs to have a disaster preparedness plan in place. 

FEMA provides disaster planning guidelines at https://www.ready.gov, and home and business owners both can take advantage of free tools such as the SERVPRO READY app at https://ready.servpro.com/home/mobileapp. 

“The app stores essential contact and property information electronically where it can be accessed with a mobile device in seconds if disaster strikes,” according to the company statement. 

For Valdosta-area commercial and residential customers, SERVPRO of Valdosta continues to specialize in disaster restoration, cleanup and repair services, helping to remediate damage.

For more information on SERVPRO of Valdosta, contact Holland, (229) 244-1466 or office@servprovaldosta.com. For more information on SERVPRO and the SERVPRO Emergency READY Program, visit https://ready.servpro.com.