My home was one of the homes that flooded in Texas on 6/17/07. I am
working with FEMA to help me get my house back in shape. Luckily, we
took immediate action on wet and permeable objects to circumvent mold
if we could.  We removed all the wet carpeting, tack and padding. The
tack was molding fast (the usual 24 - 48 window for mold growth).

I attended a meeting, with FEMA in attendance, who brought flyers from
the CDC (dated 2006) which encouraged people with mold growth in their
homes to pull out the dry wall, etc.  No containment was recommended,
no haz mat clothing was recommended, and it was down played horribly.

I talked to the reps from FEMA and they did not seem interested. So,
it is my mission to insure that victims of flooding have the "real
facts" as to how to manage the damage done to one's home.

This is the current FEMA recommendation, which I pulled up on 7-13-07:

Take things that were wet for 2 or more days outside.

Things that stayed wet for 2 days have mold growing on them even if
you can't see it.

Take out stuff made of cloth, unless you can wash them in hot water.
Also take out stuff
that can't be cleaned easily (like leather, paper, wood, and carpet.

Use bleach to clean mold off hard things (like floors, stoves, sinks,
certain toys, countertops,
flatware, plates, and tools).

Follow these steps:

Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners.

Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, goggles, and N-95 mask.

Open windows and doors to get fresh air when you use bleach.

Mix no more than 1 cup of bleach in 1gallon of water.

Wash the item with the bleach and water mixture.

If the surface of the item is rough, scrub the surface with a stiff
brush.

Rinse the item with clean water.

Dry the item or leave it out to dry.

Get Rid of Mold after a flood, mold will grow in your house. It can
make you sick. You will need to clean your house.

Recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The one point that FEMA missed is that if the whole house is not
contaminated is to contain the areas (separate) that are not showing
signs of mold growth.  Use heavy plastic sheeting to cover doorways
and air duct vents.  One common reason for mold contamination is that
it goes airborne quickly, the analogy I was given when I was a mold
victim and abandoned my home over six years ago was that spores spray
like a skunk.  You touch the mold with a spray bottle and the spores
will spray back in defense and cross contaminate your entire home.
Mine was ten rooms and my insurance company told me none of this
information I am writing here today.

If you are immunosuppressed, have bad allergies or have a lot of upper
and lower respiratory system issues; abandon. Small children should be
removed as their respiratory systems are not fully developed until
they are 16; protect your children before it is too late. Don't wait
for someone to tell you as your body will let you know.

If you have questions or comments please respond on this site.
Further professional advice and input is always welcome.  My post is a
cross between personal experience and what I just pulled off of the
CDC site today.  We are here to help as much as we can. This Sick
Homes eGroup was begun to provide information and to help others with
issues with their homes.

HADD is a not for profit, victim run, national organization that is
located at:

www.hadd.com

Before I post, I research, as the information is not the opinion of
HADD yet information posted by the governmental agency of the CDC.
And, of a woman who has been chronically ill due to toxic mold, for
nine years now.

We're here for you if you need referrals for further information.

Tamara
Moderator
No. Texas Representative for HADD
No. Texas Representative for Mold-Help.org