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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow water damages a flooded house and which parts can be saved
The damage to the houses is going to be tremendous, said Jean-Pierre Bardet, a geotechnical engineer and dean of engineering at the University of Miami. Thousands are beyond repair.
Often, however, a waterlogged house can be saved.
A high water depth doesnt mean the home is destroyed, said Claudette Hanks Reichel of Louisiana State Universitys Agricultural Center, who has written disaster recovery material for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. But if a house was already structurally compromised by decay, termites or very poor construction, then the flood could be the last straw.
Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/national/flooded-homes/?utm_term=.79371e33686d
BigmanPigman
(51,611 posts)I live in a "dessert" area (Southern CA) and had so much mold in my former classroom that it eventually had to be destroyed. My students and I had been sick for 6 weeks after moving into an older classroom in a building that had "new" AC put in the year before. The water that had accumulated in the ceiling tiles was so heavy that it made the tiles almost drop from the weight. The white walls were stained brown like coffee. I have permanent damage to my lungs and the only help I got from the school district after I complained to the admin was a can of Lysol and a fan and instructions to keep my door closed (there were no windows in the room either). The mold recirculated and continued to grow. After I went to the union I was finally given serious attention and was kicked out of school for 6 weeks to get my health back. Then I was harassed by the district for the length of my employment. They do not like troublemakers.
procon
(15,805 posts)I live in the same vicinity, and that black mold loves the desert heat.
You can pull out the flooring and all the drywall, but if it's in the wood framing, stones, bricks or concrete work, it will never go away and continues to spread. Years ago we looked at buying a reno house that had long standing water damage from a pipe leak. The interior area was gutted, but the mold was still visible and the room had that noticeable musty smell. Someone did flip that house and there is a family living there now with no idea what's hidden.
Gothmog
(145,321 posts)My son and i are lucky. Neither of our houses are damaged or have water.
You have to tear out the carpet and gut the drywall and insulation. There is a great deal of expense.
I saw estimates that 500,000 cars will have to be replaced due to harvey
AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)Thanks to her good deed she has lifelong pneumonia from breathing mold. She can work 6 weeks, can't for two.
No mold on the golf course.