Working the overnight shift to restore homes

SAINT JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind -- One of the hardest things to deal with is a disaster that threatens your home and everything in it. We found one company in Michiana who specializes in preventing things from getting worse after a disaster strikes.

ABC 57's Eric Steltzer spent the night with Towne Fire and Water Damage Restoration, and workers say it's very rewarding.

Harold Hoover and his partner never really know when they're headed to work. It could be at 11:00 at night or even 3:00 in the morning. And it usually starts with a fire.

"We had one in Elkhart and Dunlap a few years and it's most of the night with three guys. So that was pretty extensive," said Hoover.

Rain, snow, hot or cold. These guys come as soon as the sirens start, and start fixing houses as soon as they can.

Hoover works for Towne Fire and Water Damage Restoration. The company operates in the South Bend and Elkhart region.

"We're here to provide a repair service to make the home secure until the work can be done" said Hoover.

They will board up the home to make sure it is secure, help remove seriously damaged materials, and try to work with homeowners to get their house back and better than ever.

"I get a lot of reward and accomplishment and it's always 100 percent improvement for what we do. It's fulfilling," said Hoover.

Hoover says board-up crews tend to work in one-week rotations.

"The further the damage the longer we are; we'll bring in more people if we have to," said Hoover.

Every time his crew boards up a house, it helps protect it from secondary damage. When he's not boarding up houses, he's a painter and carpenter. However, he says helping others is what he likes to do best.

"You're dealing with people who are kind of emotionally on edge, so our trying to be very kind to them while providing a service," said Hoover.

Although the folks we found specialize in fire restoration, the company deals with everything from water, mold, and even storm damage. For more information, check out their web-page.

Here is a link: http://www.townerestoration.com/