Flooding and Defeating the Mold Monster

Of course our hearts and prayers go out to all those who are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. Epic flooding was one of the main parts of this storm and we all know what this means for apartment communities who were affected: MOLD! This post will serve as a good reminder of the dangers of mold in general.

It really does not take much for mold to grow. All it needs is moist conditions and warmer temperatures and you have a hotbed of mold spores growing. Mold spores can go airborne and are very difficult to remove from inside a home. Certain people are more susceptible to mold. The elderly, children, people with respiratory or immune issues are typically the ones that suffer the most.

You need to make sure your maintenance team is safe! I will share a brief story of an incident I was involved in. Back in September 2009 the city of Austell was inundated with flooding. I visited homes that the floods reached the second story of the home and higher. I had the privilege of working with some disaster relief teams as a volunteer. One of the items that were strongly pushed was the need for personal protective equipment. On one particular job we had to rip up all the carpet in a home. It had been under water for many days. It was so hot and humid. I had a hard time keeping up with the labor of the job and breathing. Those of you who have ripped up wet carpet can understand. I failed to wear the proper face masks. I ripped up this one large section and I slipped back. I am sure you can imagine what happened next. Water flew up into the air and right into my mouth. I was extremely sick for the next 3 days as a result of that.

I hope this story serves as a solid reminder of the need for safety and personal protective equipment. This is an absolute must! If your team does not have proper training for mold remediation then you need to hire a professional. Do not underestimate  how mold can affect the health of your residents and your maintenance team. Hold a team meeting before going into a job and remind them of the need for safety and patience. Wearing the protective gear can really be challenging to your respiratory system so to you managers be patient with your team.

Please share below any tips you may have when it comes to mold remediation and safety. How do you deal with the dreaded mold monster? I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comment section below.

Written by Jonathan Saar

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