Paul Davis Restoration there to help after catastrophe strikes

And even during this distressing time, the kids still have to get to school and the adults must return to work. 

Harold Smith, the manager at Paul Davis Restoration, knows what it's like. 

"I went through that experience myself, I had a place in Elk Point," Smith said. "Burned to the ground. I got off from work, and my wife and I and our two-month-old daughter stood outside with a bag with a diaper, and a little bit of formula, and a pickup and the clothes on our backs. And that's all we had left." 

So Smith and his 10-person team at Paul Davis Restoration, 1610 Pierce Street, focus on setting things right for families and businesses that fall victim to a disaster. 

"Everybody here has been hired with a clear expectation that we restore lives, first and foremost," Smith said. "It's more important to us to restore a life than to make a dollar." 

Paul Davis doesn't just clean up after fires and floods -- they're a full-service mitigation and restoration company that handles jobs as diverse as crime scene cleanup to large, costly commercial fires, to oil or chemical spills to mold infestations.

Smith said Paul Davis handles about 850 cases a year, and is the only full-service restoration company of its kind in Sioux City. 

The firm uses advanced procedures to mitigate the smells and hazards of a damaged building. In smoke-damage cases, for example, the company uses hydroxyl and ozone treatments to eliminate the stench. In mold situations, they use air scrubbers and decontamination to kill off the mold spores. 

"We don't just spray perfume and cover it up, we actually use expensive equipment that actually destroys the odor molecules," Smith said. 

Typically the team can have a building cleaned up within a few days; the repairs could take months, especially if the damage is extensive. The crew does all it can to get people back in their homes, and to get businesses back up and running, as quickly as possible. 

With Paul Davis, the client doesn't have to sweat the details  -- the team oversees the whole project, from the plumbing and electrical to the plaster and paint and carpet. They even make sure residents have a place to stay after a catastrophe, and they'll board up a house for free if insurance won't pay for it. 

Don't worry about insurance company headaches, either -- Paul Davis works directly with them, and Smith said about 80 percent of cases are covered. 

"We understand that the homeowner has been through a traumatic experience," Smith said. 

The team also knows how important it is to respond quickly. With a call to Paul Davis Restoration, someone will be on the scene and assessing the damage within two hours, Smith said. 

"Now if you're in Sioux City, we're usually on site within a half an hour, maybe 45 minutes," he said. "If you're in Denison, Iowa, we have an hour drive." 

And when a water line gives out, the key is to get to work quickly. 

"The faster we can get it dry, the faster we can get it cleaned up, the less chance there is for carpet to deteriorate, for wood floors to swell and buckle, et cetera," he said. 

Paul Davis Restoration can be reached at 712-234-0095 or online at sioux-city.pauldavis.com.