Hurricane Sandy- Don't Know Where To Start!
3 feet of salt water and sewage throughout the house. Have to gut down to the studs and replace everything! First have to powerwash and spray a disinfectant. Is bleach adequate or is there something else we should use to kill the bacteria and prevent mold?
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Please know that we are thinking about and praying for all of you there who have a long road ahead.
I am constantly amazed the strength that we see from so many of our East Coast neighbors.
God Speed.
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-remove-mold-after-water-damage#.UKcBroZXI3w
http://www.cdc.gov/mold/cleanup.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/emres/flood.html
Best of luck to you and your community as you begin to heal from this disaster.
One of the keys given winter weather is keeping warm, but more than that you need to get the moisture out. The heaters do their part, the next part depends on if your on a crawl or basement.
A ducted portable blower attached to a window in the space your heating can pull the heated air into the crawl or basement to get double use of the hot air. The crawl or basement window can give final vent to the moisture laden air.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=portable+gas+blower+heating+for+sale&qpvt=portable+gas+blower+heating+for+sale&FORM=IGRE#view=detail&id=D7D18AB04DF1796C04F56D99EAEA2888104280B4&selectedIndex=113
The use of bleach and fungicide is only effective if the structure is dried out.
If you have flood insurances they will cover the costs and it will cost you a quarter of what the professionals will charge even if you could get one to show up.
I've done a couple of tours with FEMA during past hurricanes and unless your renting or totally un insured I saw very little help being provided as a result of the inspections we completed.
We had less water than you but it is not just salt water, it is Category 3, black water. If not remediated the house will grow mold and later need to be torn down. Good luck.
The Boric acid stays on the wallls and kills the residual mold, whereas the bleach evaporates. I used it many times with great success. Good luck to you.
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Whether your "stew" came from seepage or surge, you also want to have a professional check the building's integrity. Surge water has incredible force and can damage the structure in ways that aren't immediately obvious. Even seepage can do a number on the building's fabric given the amount you experienced.
Your insurance agent has to be involved - s/he has to schedule the insurance adjustor, help find a reputable remediation company or structural engineer, explain what is covered by your existing insurance and hopefully go to bat for you when the adjustor's "estimate" automatically comes in low. It's possible that insurance agents in your area aren't as familiar with hurricane claims as ours are. If so, ask the agent to contact a colleague on the Gulf Coast for assistance.
Because it's cold in your area now, you might not immediately notice mold, but the spores are there just waiting for a bit of warmth - in ductwork, insulation, tiny crevices in sheetrock, wood studs, flooring and underlayment, appliances, furniture and textiles. After Hurricane Ike hit us in the hot season, people saw molds in colors never seen before - some were impervious to bleach, some were toxic, some not. Please don't take a chance that your repair will cover up those spores and allow them to proliferate in warmth and darkness.
You have suffered a calamity that can't be resolved quickly or easily even with the best insurance coverage - get all the help you can from whatever local, government, and private resources are available as quickly as possible.
http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/Disaster-Recovery
As mentioned above talk to a remediation company. They will at least be able to point you in the right direction and recommend products if they can't do the work (or they should offer the advice if they are a reputable company).
Don't do a thing though before contacting your insurance.
Good Luck.
Also, when you talk to your insurance company, it would be good to know a) whether you're covered for flooding (most people aren't), and b) whether you're covered for sewer back-ups (most people are). If the sewage came out of the pipes it may make a difference as to whether they'll cover the mitigation and reconstruction.
@orangecamera, the problem with recovery timelines, and why they're so vague, depends so much on the scale of the disaster. Where 10s or 100s of thousands of people are affected, there are simply not enough inspectors, mitigators, contractors, estimators and professionals to quickly get to those in need. And that doesn't include possible delays caused by litigation when estimates seem too low or the contractor and homeowner have a falling out..
Six months after Ike, an overwhelmed local adjustor was still desperately looking for people to train in estimation. My town was on the "good" (left) side of Ike and protected by levees, so the effects were mostly wind and tornadoes spawned by Ike. Even so, I saw the FEMA blue tarp "roofs" for at least 2 years after. There weren't enough local roofing contractors for timely repair. For some, litigation about "low ball" estimates held up repairs.
For surge damaged homes on Galveston, up the Galveston and Trinity Bays, and points east, scheduling all the necessary personnel was time consuming and psychologically traumatic (but with some gallows humor and mutual support to help).
As for any extensive remodel, each stage has to be approved. During a disaster it's by stressed to the max local government inspectors: structural soundness, electrical inspection before walls could be closed in; gas company to ensure service wasn't compromised; signing off on each stage of work that everything was being done to code. Contractors, when one could finally schedule one, scrambled for supplies where transportation to affected areas was limited.
The worst of the salvageable houses took about a year to complete, even though these areas, like most Gulf Coast communities, have extensive disaster plans already in effect.
@tdwart or anyone who had landscaping under salt water, to save money and aggravation, don't try to replace any lawn or plantings until you're sure the salt has leached out - unless you're using salt-resistant plants. My local garden club collected plants for a community that suffered severe salt storm surge - we were way too early as it took over 2 years before plants didn't "burn" to death from the salt remaining in the soil. There should be local private or university labs that charge a modest fee for soil sampling that will show whether the saline content has dropped below tolerable levels.
Sorry to run on so, but hope this is somewhat helpful.
Hopefully you can get some FEMA aid since that is for uninsured or underinsured. I am assuming that means someone without flood insurance.
Since I'm allergic to just about everything, I use vinegar to kill mold. This website offers a recipe: http://www.diylife.com/2007/08/15/remove-mold-with-vinegar/
Good luck!
First, look for your strengths...what got you through other difficult problems in the past. You will use these coping skills now.
Find someone who hasn't been affected by this disaster who will listen to you. Not give you advice or try to solve your problems but will just listen to anything you have to say. This is a great stress reliever and will actually help you sort things out for yourself.
Your life has been turned up side down but try to establish some routine in your days. Sounds silly but it will help.
And above all, take care of your physical needs. For example, getting enough sleep may be one of your biggest challenges so do whatever it takes to get the rest you need. Take care.
Natural disasters, like Hurricane Sandy, will continue to affect the lives and livelihoods of their survivors; not to mention the thousands of volunteers that will join in the recovery. Please take the time to understand how this horrific event could affect your property and health in the future. Take seriously the old adage, "To be forewarned is to be forearmed". I'm no expert, but allow me to provide you with a short primer.
The fact is that mold is an integral and essential part of our daily lives. It is present in food items, fermentation, fertilization, waste management, and even in the air we breathe. But a few Molds are dangerous to your health if exposed to them. All Mold require three (3) things to grow: 1) a minimal level of moisture, 2) organic matter, and 3) heat [in a limited range]. Take away any one item and Mold will not grow. That does NOT mean, however, that it is dead. And cleaning by wiping surfaces with Bleach, or other disinfectant, is not effective at removing the threat of its return. A microscopic look at the structure of Mold on the surface of organic matter reveals the presence of roots. A certain amount of vigorous scrubbing and drying is required for a thorough cleaning. Mold roots can sleep dormant for a very long time; awakening to start growing again when the three ingredients for growth are again present.
Forty-eight hours of incubation is usually enough time for Mold to start growing. And if the affected area is larger than Ten (10) square feet, it is strongly recommended that you seek professional help in removing the affected material and personal property; especially if effluent (sewage) is present. A good Rule of Thumb is to remove all finish material (carpet, drywall, wall finishes, cabinets, etc.) at least 18" above the observed high water line, and to get rid of furnishings with stuffing and padding (bedding, rugs, drapery, sofas, chairs, etc. - anything that can not be thoroughly cleaned and guaranteed). If it continues to have a moldy smell, I would suspect that it's not clean enough.
The homes and lives of those survivors most affected will be those without homeowner's or flood insurance. I have witnessed the clean-up process continue for years after the impact of the initial disaster. Several non-profit disaster recovery agencies will be involved. After the Early Responders have gone home, the Long-Term-Recovery personnel will be providing their skills and resources. The vast number will be trained volunteers. I would counsel patience and hope and cooperation of the efforts of those less fortunate; with their desire to clean, make repairs, and stay in their homes; and the efforts of the volunteers to help them accomplish their goal.