Hurricane Katrina Mold
Problems, Inspection, Testing, & Remediation
Also read:
Hurricane-Recovery-Tips
Typhoon-Hurricane-Tornado
Q.
My home in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans, recently got at least one
foot of water within some parts of the home. During a visit to my property
to salvage and do some preliminary clean-up about a week after the hurricane
hit, the mold that was festering was of a white color and growing in small
clumps on furniture and up the walls near where the water line was (the
water had since receded out of the home). We have a meeting with an
insurance agent in regards to my home owner's policy. What would it take for
the mold in my home to cause the government or my insurance agency to
declare the home condemned? [Sept. 14, 2005]
A.
You need to do know what your policy provides in insurance benefits for mold
damage resulting from flooding. Read your policy very carefully. Discuss the
policy provisions with your insurance agent. You would also benefit big-time
by hiring an independent insurance adjuster on a commission basis [of what
is collected from the insurance company] to try to collect the most possible
under your policy for the substantial water and mold coverage that Hurricane
Katrina has caused to your Metairie home. You can safely presume that your
home has massive mold growth INSIDE the walls, as well as on the outside
surface. You will have to remove and discard all drywall materials at least
up to 2 feet above where there is mold growth inside and/or on a particular
wall. Read the 25 steps for safe and effective
mold remediation. To
answer your specific question, if you have substantial, collectable [under
your policy] covered insurance damage that exceeds the fair market value of
your home [less land and other improvements such as utilities, driveways,
etc.], your home might be a good candidate for condemnation. Find out about
the contamination guidelines utilized by the Metairie building inspectors,
especially in light of the seriousness of the hurricane Katrina flooding.
Q.
My house received 6-8 inches of water from the Katrina hurricane. The local
government kept everyone out of the area until 14 days after. The water was
out but the mold was on the wall. We removed the carpet and sofa in the
living room. On our return to the house to gut it out would our clothes be
of any use. Is the mold smell
on the clothes a sign of mold growing on the clothing. Please let me know
how to remove the odor or should be just throw the clothes away. We will not
return again for another 2-3 weeks. [Sept. 13, 2005]
A.
Sorry for the great flood problem recovery problems you face. Scrub the
clothes thoroughly with Borax laundry detergent, a natural mold cleaner. A much bigger problem for you is water penetration of the
floors and walls that is likely to cause massive mold growth in view of the
long extent of the water [more than the 24 hours of wetness required for
mold to start growing]. You would be wise to remove the baseboards of all
ground floor rooms and do mold inspection and testing INSIDE the walls. Just
as you have found mold growth on the surface of the walls, you will find it
inside walls and floors that were flooded. Learn do it yourself
mold inspection techniques at
Mold Inspection
Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective
mold remediation.
Q.
During the recent hurricane Katrina here in Florida I had a small roof leak.
Initially it was a trickle of water down the wall in my daughter's room. I
initially thought it was coming in a window as that is where the water first
came into the room. I have contacted a roofing co. They have found the leak
but due to the high volume of calls I am still waiting for them to come fix
the leak. A few days later the ceiling had yellow stains. Last week during a
heavy rain, water was leaking from the ceiling near the window & traveling
across the ceiling coming out from the ceiling fan in the center of the
room. The roofing company told me to poke holes in the corner where the roof
leak apparently is located. That did help the water from traveling but it is
still coming in the corner. I initially dried the carpet & walls but the
room smells musty and I am sure the insulation is wet. Last night we had
another heavy rain & within 1 hour the pail was half full (~1 gal. of
water). Is there anything I can do to retard the mold growth and musty
smell? We have air conditioning on all the time but would a dehumidifer
help? Since we really do not have attic space in Florida to crawl up in it
is difficult to access the area. I thought of spraying something but I am
not sure what would help. Any
suggestions? [Sept. 13, 2005]
A.
Open up the ceiling [in all areas in which the leak may have spread or
soaked] from the inside and remove all drywall and insulation affected by
the leak resulting from Hurricane Katrina in Florida. You should follow the
25 steps for safe and effective
mold remediation. You
need to spray a Mold Home Remedies Recipe [make your own
effective fungicide---directions are in the special report of the same name
at
Mold Mart as soon as possible on all water damaged surfaces such as the
support timbers in your ceiling. You would also be helped to mold test the
air throughout your home for the possibility of elevated levels of airborne
mold spores, in comparison to an outdoor mold control test. Learn mold test
kit usage tips in the mold test kit section of Mold Mart. Buy mold test kits
from a large hardware or home improvement store. Running a programmable
dehumidifier to keep indoor humidity to a mold-discouraging 30 to 40% would
be very helpful to slow down any mold growth problems.
Q.
The entire downstairs of our home was flooded in hurricane Katrina. Do you
think that mold would be behind the built-in kitchen cabinets and
bookshelves ? Should they all be gutted to remove it? [Sept. 13, 2005]
A.
Sorry that you are a Katrina hurricane mold victim. Expect to find
substantial mold growth not only behind and under the kitchen cabinets, but
also hidden INSIDE walls, floors, ceilings, and heating/cooling ducts and
equipment. Your first step should be the total mold inspection and testing
of your home. Follow the do it yourself tips at
mold inspection.
Buy do it yourself mold test kits from a large hardware or home improvement
store. The kitchen cabinets and bookcases will need to be removed not only
for mold remediation outdoors of ALL surfaces thereof, but also to
facilitate removal of the wall and floor materials for mold inspection and
mold removal. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective
mold remediation.
Q.
We live in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and our house was flooded with 8
feet of water in Hurricane Katrina. I have removed all of the cabinets,
sheet rock, insulation and carpet and am not sure what to do next. We do
not have power (or an air conditioner that works) so removing all the
moisture is difficult. Do I need to hire someone to spray the house? If
so, who? Cost is a factor since we have no flood insurance. [Sept. 13,
2005]
A.
Sorry that you became a mold victim of Hurricane Katrina. Your very first
step should be to spray all of the timbers, plywood, and remaining, usable
building materials with at least two wet sprayings of one of the
inexpensive Mold Home Remedy Recipes explained in the
special report of the same name at the
mold store. Then you need to physically remove all mold growth with hand
tools or power tools [when you have electricity restored or from a small
electric generator]. The best power tools in removing mold are power planer,
power grinder with wire brush attachment, and power sander. Please read
carefully and follow the 25 steps for safe and effective
mold remediation.
You were very wise in removing and discarding the water damaged building
materials [one of the 25 necessary steps for mold removal success]. After
you have cleaned the wood of all mold growth, spray a home remedy fungicide
one more time.
Q.
We have 5 stores that have been affected by the hurricane in LA. What can
you suggest we do as a preventative measure that would not be harmful to our
clothing and personnel that would decrease or eliminate the potential of
mold growth before it happens. [Sept. 9, 2005]
A.
You are certainly wise to try to prevent mold growth in the view of the
Louisiana Hurricane Katrina. Your first step should be to operate several
programmable dehumidifiers in each store area, warehouse area, and office
area to substantially reduce the high indoor humidity [made much higher by
the massive flooding, with the resulting evaporation and humidity creation]
to a mold-discouraging 30 to 40 percent. Second, you should be reducing the airborne mold spores in
each area of your stores, warehouse, offices, by the use of the Friedrich
Air Cleaner, rated the most effective air cleaner by Consumer Reports magazine. The massive
flooding is going to create massive mold growth which will generate billions
of airborne mold spores to mold cross contaminate most homes and buildings
in southern Louisiana with elevated levels of airborne mold spores. Third,
you can spray a protective
mold home remedy on walls and ceilings, attic areas, basements, that are
out of sight and for which you don't mind having a white protective coating
that is the result of spraying a
mold home remedy on surfaces. Fourth, you should be very vigilant for signs of mold
growth anywhere in your stores or on merchandise. Learn the 25 steps for
safe and effective
mold remediation.
Q.
I live in the area that was hit by Katrina. The residents of Jefferson
parish were allowed to come back home to assess damage and collect items and
get out until further notice. My house was flooded (about 1 foot of water)
and the carpet was wet. We removed the carpet and mop the floors until they
were dry. Mold was already present up to one foot in all the walls of the
house particularly inside closets. I spray bleach on the moldy parts,
however; a friend of mine told me that I was not supposed to do that. He
said that that will speed up the process and I will get more mold and it is
going to get worse. PLEASE ADVISE ME IN THIS MATTER. I don't know when the
adjusters for the insurance company will be in my area to check damage
because authorities are not allowing anybody to come into the city. I spray
pure bleach in only one closet everywhere else I use the solutions that you
can by to clean mildew and mold from bathrooms. [Sept. 10, 2005]
A.
Sorry that you had to become a Katrina mold victim. Bleach is ineffective
for killing mold on porous surfaces such as walls, floors, carpeting. Learn
why at
Bleach Mold Myth. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective
mold remediation. The water will have have soaked the insides of the
walls, requiring you to remove and discard the moldy drywall at least two
feet higher than the mold infestation height level you find inside the
damaged walls. You will need to remove and treat wood flooring that got wet
in the flood. Also mold inspect, test, and treat any crawl space or basement
for obvious likely mold infestation.
Q. We are returning to our New
Orleans home which has had water in it since Katrina. Should we bring
something to spray on articles that were not ruined and underwater? We have
heard about diluted Clorox and Lysol spray. Will any of these things serve
a real purpose? Are any more or less effective? Will they ruin things?
Please help! [Sept. 11, 2005]
A.
Sorry that you are having to learn about mold in such a terrible way as
Hurricane Katrina. Bleach and Lysol are ineffective to control mold
infestation problems. Read all about why bleach won't kill mold on porous
surfaces such as building materials at
Bleach and Mold. You can kill present mold growths by using a
Mold Home Remedy Recipes. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective
mold remediation.
Q.
My son is in college in New Orleans - Fortunately he got out before
Hurricane Katrina but he left behind all of his books, clothes and
pictures. His room is on the second floor so it did not flood but the
basement flooded and the building had a mold problem even before the
hurricane. We will not be able to get back there for at least a month. Is
there any hope for his clothes and books? Is there a potential problem of
spreading mold if we remove his stuff to our house? [Sept. 6, 2005]
A.
It is likely that the high indoor humidity arising from the flood plus the
spread of large numbers of airborne mold spores both from the immediate
building and neighboring buildings [that will all become mold hells] will
cause mold problems in regard to your son's property. Try to wash off all
items [when you have access to them] with a damp cloth wet with Borax
laundry detergent, a natural mold cleaner. Of course the clothes can be
washed with Borax.
Q.
My friends’ house got flooded with sea water during the hurricane. I hear
the water was about five feet deep for several hours. What should my friends
do now? [Sept. 7, 2005]
A.
Any water damaged building materials caused by Hurricane Katrina should be
removed and discarded because such wet materials are likely to have mold
growth inside and on the materials. In addition, removing such water damaged
materials makes it easier for visual inspection, mold inspection, and mold
testing inside walls, ceilings, floors, and the heating/cooling ducts and
equipment. As to actual mold growth on structural building timbers and on
building materials that are moldy but not ruined water damage-wise, your
friends should follow the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation
at Mold Removal.
You can use a low-cost
Mold Home Remedy Recipes available at
Mold Mart. The entire home should be mold tested with do it yourself
mold test kits from a large hardware or home improvement store
mold test kits,
or hire a
Certified
Mold Inspector.
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