Mold Closes Waterford Twp. Schools till Monday

 A New Jersey school district has cancelled classes due to mold problems.

Mold was found in two of Waterford Township's three elementary schools. But all three will be closed until Monday, affecting over 900 students.

Officials say mold was first suspected at the start of school, and then the Camden County Health Department notified the district last week after doing an inspection two...

McDonald’s In Easton

AllRisk demonstrates the ability to help McDonald's in Easton, PA recover from the devastating loss known as the hundred year flood. Please click here to view the video.

allRisk Helps Reopen Anchorage Tavern

After a fire at the Anchorage Tavern, allRisk was brought on board, and the bar was able to reopen five months ahead of schedule. Please click here to view the video.

Storm Recovery Safety Tips

There are a number of important tips that you should know when it comes to preparing for and recovering from a storm. The following list from fema.gov addresses the various stages of hurricane preparedness.

What should I do before hurricane season starts?

PLAN AN EVACUATION ROUTE

• Contact the local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter, and ask for the...

Smartphones Becoming a Necessity for Disasters

August has been a busy month for regional disaster experts, allRisk Inc. So far, a recent record-breaking rain led a New Jersey state university to hire the company to perform emergency water mitigation in areas where total repair estimates have reached $1.4 million. 

Cleanup from the massive flood needed to be completed within days, before students returned for fall classes.  With...

“Extreme” Threat Level For Irene

Hurricane Irene could affect 55 million people all along the East Coast. To track Irene's path, click here. To view NJ evacuation routes, please click here.

Officials from Florida to the Carolinas urged residents along the entire East Coast to prepare for a powerful storm that was aiming for landfall this weekend in North Carolina and threatening to disrupt Sunday's dedication of the...

In a Disaster, Favor Text Over Voice

In the aftermath of the earthquake that hit parts of the U.S. and Canada yesterday, it's worth emphasizing that texting may be the most reliable way to stay in touch during a natural disaster.

There were numerous reports of service problems after yesterday's quake. In fact, the FCC said it is "assessing a significant disruption to cell service due to the quake and will be looking at...

Flood Causes $1.5 Million in Damages at Rowan University

Rowan University suffered $1.5 million in damages from Sunday’s flooding, but university spokesman Joe Cardona said all repairs and replacements will be complete by the time students come back to campus later this month.

“It was widespread and affected many buildings,” said Cardona on Wednesday. “The little road leading from the parking lot to the football field was under several feet...

Winter Emergency and Your Car

We often think about getting our homes winterized, but the recent winter storm battering the Midwest shows that our autos  need a safety check too, says a top disaster expert."It's basic, but I'm still stunned at the number of people who don't take the 30 minutes to ensure their automobiles are ready for an emergency, especially during the winter," says Dean Ragone, president of...

More Landlords Addressing Mold

It's everywhere, and its presence can be a financial nightmare — resulting in an explosion of litigation over the past 20 years. It's mold, and since it's here to stay, many in the apartment industry are tackling it on a variety of fronts, including spreading the word that complaints — not silence — are golden whenever a tenant finds mold.

To ward off health concerns and the lawsuits...

Christine Messina Voted Chairperson for NJASBO

The New Jersey Association of School Business Officials (NJASBO) announced today that Christine Messina, vice president of allRisk Property Damage Experts, has been voted to the position of New Member Chairperson. The responsibilities for her year-long tenure include encouraging enrollment to the organization. 

"NJASBO delivers access to the best advocacy and professional development...

Cumberland County Freeholders Award $700,000 for Courthouse Restoration

Cumberland County freeholders have awarded a $700,000 contract to a Camden County fire and water damage restoration company to oversee repairs of damage caused by flooding at the county courthouse.

The freeholder board voted Thursday night at their bi-monthly meeting to award an "emergency contract" to All Risk Property Damage Experts of Somerdale to make repairs to the basement of the...

Mold Delays Opening of Stone Harbor Elementary

Mold was discovered Aug. 31 on cold water pipes behind built-in classroom bookcases at Stone Harbor Elementary School causing a one-day opening delay.

Students here were scheduled to return Sept. 9 but instead returned Sept. 10.

Moisture from exterior walls leaked inside and little black dots of mold appeared on pipes on interior walls of four classrooms and the computer lab.

Restoration Contractors Profit From Thermography

Contractors who restore buildings following water intrusion say that a thermal imager can be a time saver and a moneymaker, giving them a competitive edge and adding elements of professionalism and thoroughness to their offerings.

Thermography, the use of a thermal imager or infrared (IR) camera to capture an image of the surface temperatures of objects, is used in a variety of...

Steeple Raising Helps Keep Promise

Before she died, Carrie Frances Shorter made the Rev. Marc Anthony Rassmann promise to rebuild the Greater Mt. Pisgah Church of Haddonfield.

Two years ago, a fire destroyed the 126-year-old building that had served three generations of Shorter's family.

"My mom loved this church," said Shorter's daughter, Valerie Arnold, of Haddonfield. "My mother went to this church, my grandmother...

Graffiti Closes Park for All

Rangers had to shut down Long Bridge Park because of vandals and the nasty graffiti they left behind.

The sound of power washers, not children playing, filled the air at Long Bridge Park in Hainesport. The popular 115-acre park and playground off Route 541 has been closed since Saturday after rangers discovered the place covered in graffit by vandals.

"It's various words, curse words,...

allRisk Property Damage Experts Prepare for Gustav

allRisk Property Damage experts is mobilizing it's emergency personal to New Orleans to assist it's commercial clients with recovery efforts in the aftermath of Gustav.

allRisk Property Damage Experts, the emergency/disaster response subsidiary of allRisk Inc. is mobilizing its expert work force, 1000's of pieces of drying equipment, communications gear and logistical support to respond...

Free Gas for Vets

More than 250 World War II veterans from throughout Camden County headed for Carl's Haddonfield Sunoco on Thursday (August 28) to receive free Sunoco gift cards valued at $50. The gas lottery event was designed by County officials and supported by three area businesses to provide fuel-cost relief to the veterans.

The Borough Commissioners were on hand at 11am to greet some of the...

Monroe Blaze Injures 5 People

Fire of unspecified origin damaged four apartments and sent five people to the hospital including one listed Friday in serious condition.

According to Monroe Township Fire Marshal Skip Tomarchio, firefighters were dispatched to the Monroe Towne East Apartments off North Main Street at 10:19 p.m. Thursday.

The fire was brought under control in less than one hour, but fire crews stayed...

Fire-Ruined A.M.E. Church Will Rise Again

An audience of about 50 huddled against the morning chill yesterday as African Methodist Episcopal Presiding Bishop Richard Franklin Norris stepped to the microphone at the groundbreaking of a new Mount Pisgah A.M.E. Church in Haddonfield.

"This is a day that has long been anticipated," Norris intoned. "And this is an occasion that normally would dictate an hour-and-a-half sermon."

Pennsauken ‘Extreme Makeover’ Show Coming

A wave of good things has come to UrbanPromise Ministries in the wake of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" building a new home in Pennsauken for the Marrero family.

UrbanPromise Ministries, a nonprofit city-based religious and educational organization, donated the land for the project and
received a makeover itself during the filming.

"We were involved in the "Extreme Makeover'...

Local Expert in NJ Has Tips on Dealing With Flooding

As area residents begin returning to flood damaged homes and businesses, a local expert in disaster clean-ups has some
advice on what to expect and how best to deal with the problem.

Dean Ragone is co-owner of All-Risk in Somerdale, New Jersey, one of the east coast’s largest companies dealing with
“after disaster” scenarios.

Ragone says even if all the water has receded from your...

Event to Include Behind-the-Scenes Look at ‘Extreme Makeover’ in Camco

Banquet to examine how TV shows aided Camden residents

Tonight Urban Promise Ministries will be presenting an exclusive interview, a behind-the-scenes look at "Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition" and families whose lives have been changed this year during its annual banquet.

Karim Council, 7, of Camden, was one of several children interviewed or featured in a "20/20" special called...

Preparing for Disaster Can help Save Lives

When our nation recently marked the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, emotions ran the gamut from somber to joyful, despondent to hopeful, as we reflected on one of the greatest disasters in our nation's history.

If we have learned anything from the heart-wrenching devastation endured by the Gulf Coast, it is that natural disaster can strike anytime, anywhere.

Though each...

Choice Appoints Property Damage Vendor

allRisk Property Damage Experts, a commercial general contractor specializing in disaster recovery, has been awarded qualified vendor status by Choice Hotels International, Inc. , one of the world's largest lodging franchisors. allRisk was selected as a qualified vendor for Choice Hotels' Cambria Suites, Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Clarion,
Sleep Inn, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn,...

Philadelphia Area Residents Familiar with Flooding Brace for Nor’easter

The phrase "April showers bring may flowers," doesn't quite work for some homeowners who live along the rivers and streams, because they fear that April showers bring April flooding.

And with a big Nor'easter expected later in the weekend, they're hoping to escape that kind of problem.

Dean Ragone of all risk property damage experts has seen it all, and at this time of year...

No Bitter, but Still Darn Cold

Good news for ice fishermen, bad news for water pipes

For the caller, it was a tragedy. But for Colleen Rogan, a plumber and dispatcher at a local plumbing shop, it was the same old story.

On the other end of the line was an Ocean City beach house owner in a frenzy. She was having guests over for a party on a chilly January evening, Rogan said.

She hadn't been in the house all...

The Anchorage Family Reunion

They had a family reunion Tuesday night on Bay Avenue - for a big, big family. The reunion was at the Anchorage Tavern. And the family was so big because it's an extended one - the Anchorage family.

The Anchorage itself was the reason for the party. The local landmark was serving food and drinks again for the first time since early last September, when an electrical fire did massive...

TIP DU JOUR:  What to Do after a Fire

As diligent as you may be, fire in your home or business can happen. Dean Ragone of allRisk provides these tips on recovering after a fire.

This is part two in a series of tips this week:

Precautions should be observed when food has come into contact with water, smoke or damage by heat. Be sure to discard perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy.

All foods, unless they...

TIP DU JOUR:  Sponges Will Clean Soot from Walls

As diligent as you may be, fire in your home or business can happen. Dean Ragone of allRisk in Somerdale provides the following tips on recovering the structure after a fire. This is part one in a series of tips this week:

Open windows and doors to allow fresh air to circulate and help dissipate smoke odor. Clothing, carpets and other furnishings might require professional cleaning to...

PEOPLE: Businessman Named Honorary Chairman

Dean A. Ragone, co-founder of allRisk in Somerdale, a commercial general contractor specializing in disaster recovery, has been named honorary chairman for A Step Toward Hope 2006, the second annual South Jersey fundraising event for the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

The company assists homeowners and businesses that sustain severe setbacks as a result of disasters. Also a sponsor of...

No False Modesty Here

allRisk Property Damage Experts was hired to restore the Anchorage Tavern in Somers Point after a four-alarm fire ripped through the historic building last week.

The same Camden County-based company got the job redoing the sprawling Lobster House complex in Lower Township after a big fire hit it last year.

Now that you know what they specialize in, this message, which you can see...

This One’s on the House

The Anchorage is still loud.
But as owner Don Mahoney takes a break to talk Thursday, the noise doesn’t come from a busy dinner crowd or a late-night cocktail of music, laughter and voices. It’s from a squadron of workers ripping down the ceiling above the bar, the mission of the moment in the effort to bring back the landmark tavern from the four-alarm fire that ripped through its upper...

Officials Flood into Region

Signs of normalcy -- spiked with oddities -- returned on Saturday to riverside areas of Easton, while Gov. Ed Rendell visited and pledged to request more help for residents and business owners.

Rendell flew over flood-ravaged communities, stopping in Wilson Borough to meet with local officials.

Something has to be done, Rendell said. But he shook his head and appeared flabbergasted at...

Along Jersey Shore, Storm Worries Are Great

Meteorologists say timing is right for hurricanes. State officials are working to boost preparedness.

Call it the storm before the storm.

Up and down the coastline, as the 2006 hurricane season approaches, emergency workers, local officials and Shore residents say they are making unprecedented preparations for catastrophic storms, driven by the devastation that Hurricane Katrina...

Now is Time to Prepare before Summer Storms Hit

Cruising through flooded regions of the Northeast in their yellow and black Hummers, the workers at allRisk Inc. know a thing or two about storms.

"Our saying is "Are you prepared? We are,' " said Dean Ragone, principal of allRisk, based in Somerdale.

Home and business owners should take a look at their insurance policies and plans they have in place if a natural disaster should...

Have a Disaster Plan

Disasters come in different forms, and can range from a blackout to a tornado to worse. Here's how to protect your company to ensure business continuity after a catastrophic event occurs.

Failing to plan for disaster may be the biggest disaster a property management firm can make. From terrorist attacks to Category 5 hurricanes, floods and fires, disasters happen every day. "The most...

Storm Expert Says Big One’s Heading Here Sometime

A national expert on coastal storms Thursday warned city residents to prepare for the next big one even if it might be decades away.

A hurricane has not hit southern New Jersey directly since 1903. The state has seen just two hurricanes since 1851 when the first records were kept, according to the National Weather Service. The other New Jersey hurricane struck in 1878. Hurricanes are a...

Weather Experts Predict Busy Hurricane Season; Northeast a Target

NEW YORK -- The 2006 hurricane season will be more active than normal, and the Northeast region of the United States will be hit by a major hurricane within five years, a weather company predicted Monday.

A hurricane-related "weather disaster of historic proportions" could occur as early as this season, experts from AccuWeather Inc. said.

AccuWeather, a private, for-profit weather...

Quadriplegic Finds Success in Business, Family

When it comes to disaster, Dean Ragone knows a thing or two.

Perhaps too much.

Along with Frank Messina, Ragone is the co-owner of allRisk, the fast-growing Somerdale firm that rebuilds homes and businesses damaged by fires, floods and other calamities.

But when Ragone shows up at a job, something top company officials often do, he arrives in a wheelchair.

He's been a quadriplegic...

Camden Group Gets Benefactor for Ghana Trip

Students at Creative Arts High School who plan to travel to Ghana in the spring got a $20,000 boost Monday from an area businessman.

Frank Messina, co-owner of All Risk Property Damage Experts in Somerdale, donated the money to help pay for about 20 choir and dance students to take a one-week trip in February to the West African nation for workshops and performances.

The Camden...

Waiting for the Word, then New Orleans Bound

While the reluctant migrants from New Orleans continue to seek refuge from the noxious lake that was their city, allRisk waits to go in. The 24-hour property damage company is on standby in Somerdale as the flood-ravaged Big Easy must be deemed safe by local officials before the company can head south on its most challenging mission.

"The water in New Orleans is most likely a 'Category...

Broken Water Main Leads to Flooded Grace Church

The day before Grace Church hosted its Thanksgiving Mass, the basement of the 19th century church flooded with 11 inches of water. Last Wednesday, the church was the recipient of thousands of gallons of water that streamed into a basement window from a break in a 10-inch water main.

The water main break occurred off Atlantic Avenue in the PATCO parking lot. The water department shut...

School Reopens after Blaze

Theresa Damico hugged everyone in sight Tuesday morning as she bounded up and down the hallway at Archway School.

"You can't beat a new beginning," Damico, a teacher's assistant, said in breathless excitement.

Students and staff returned to the school Tuesday for the first time since a fire on Feb. 6 caused about $1 million in damage.

"It was devastating," said Damico, 58, a 16-year...

A Happy Homecoming at Archway

It was a happy homecoming as the 50-plus students at the Archway school here were greeted on their first day back with two Hummers, trays of frosted donuts, pretzels, juiceboxes and a line of beaming teachers and administrators on Tuesday morning.

"I've never had a first day like this," said Scott Gross, 13, of Franklin Township. "It's a pretty big surprise. It's pretty cool."

The...

Hurricane Flood Waters

Another local group is getting ready to head south - and they're getting well-prepared. Soon, a truck and all of its equipment will be ready to roll toward the devastated city of New Orleans. Its one of a fleet of trucks and hummers used by allRisk of Somerdale, New Jersey, the largest 24-hour disaster response company in our region. They've been hired to help get two flooded out...