As Hurricane Irene heads it’s way up to New England, the Emergency Service Staff of Kaiser-Battistone is on call to help solve plumbing and septic problems that may arise due to the heavy rains associated with the storm.

Call our Hurricane Emergency Service HotLine at 888.525.6295. And let us know:

• Do you have electrical power?
• Is sewage backing up into your home?
• Do you have flooding in your basement?

Hurricane Season Alert CheckList

Basement Sump Pumps

• Check to see that your sump pump is working properly. It will likely need to handle 2 – 4 inches of rainfall in a short period of time. If you are not sure, call us now before an emergency situation occurs.
• Should your sump pump fail during the hurricane, call us immediately.

Caution: Don’t go into the water yourself to attempt repair of the failed pump and risk electric shock. Often the pump isn’t working due to the power being out. Did you know that our technicians can install a sump pump with a battery backup system?

Sewer Backups

Heavy rain can cause sewer backups, whether you have an individual onsite septic system or are connected to a municipal sewer line.

• If your septic system starts backing up into the house, call us immediately and as long as the roads are safe we will deploy an emergency pumping technician.
• Regularly scheduled sewer drain cleaning assures that your lines are clear and relatively empty – thereby improving the likelihood that your sewer lines can process the excess water caused by a hurricane. If your sewer lines are already clogged, the chance of sewer backup is high.

Note: Heavy and prolonged periods of rain can saturate the ground to such an extent that once we pump out your septic tank, it fills up again shortly thereafter – necessitating repeated pumping. When our technician arrives, he will advise the best course of action.

Emergency Tips

• Should your toilets not flush: have about 5 gallons of water stored so you can pour it into the toilet after use to force flush.
• Have your wetvac immediately accessible and in good working order.
• Have plenty of candles and flashlights immediately accessible.
• Have an emergency plan ready for your family.

For more information visit www.ct.gov/irene and/or check out the Red Cross Hurricane Safety Checklist at http://www.governor.ct.gov/malloy/lib/malloy/RedCrossHurricaneSafety.pdf