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Do you need help to repair and
remediate mold damage caused by a
hurricane,
typhoon,
tornado,
hurricane and tornado,
windstorm, or
fire?
Mold Prevention Steps if Your
Home or Building Has Been Damaged by a Hurricane, Typhoon, Tornado,
Windstorm, or Fire
If your home, condominium, apartment, office, or other building has
suffered serious damage because of a hurricane, typhoon, tornado,
windstorm, or fire, you would be wise to take the following preventive
steps to reduce the resulting mold infestation that will surely grow from
the damage your home or building has suffered.
1. Prior to any repairs, photograph from every appropriate angle all
damage that has been happened to your home or other building. You may need
this photographic evidence to help collect for the water, structural, and
mold damage.
2. Use
do-it-yourself mold test kits or the Scotch tape lift sampling
technique [explained in the mold test kit section of Mold Mart] to test
any visible mold growth so that you can send the mold test kits to a mold
laboratory for analysis and mold species identification. Also, use mold
test kits to mold test the air of each room, attic, basement, crawl space,
and the outward air flow [if electricity is on] from each heating/cooling
duct register for the possible presence of elevated levels of airborne
mold spores, in comparison to an outdoor mold control test. You should
repeat this testing of the air every 7 days so that you can determine if
the mold situation is under control or out of control. You should also be
photographing and testing any new mold growths.
3. Read your insurance policy very carefully to see in what ways the
insurance company could try to restrict or reject your insurance claim for
mold growth damage and for the expenses of mold inspection, testing, and
remediation. If you don’t understand the policy, have it explained to you
by your agent, the insurance company claims adjuster, an independent
insurance adjuster [who works solely on your behalf against the insurance
company on a commission basis], or your attorney. You may need to have the
home or building inspected and tested [with a written report of the
inspector’s findings] by a
Certified
Mold Inspector. The goal of the Certified Mold Inspector is to
document that there is new mold growth that was directly caused by the
sudden and accidental, insured event such as a hurricane, typhoon,
tornado, windstorm, fire, or water line break. If you believe your
insurance policy should cover the water and mold damage, but the company
refuses to pay, you definitely need to have professional representation by
an independent insurance adjuster or an insurance-oriented attorney. You
should also read the in depth book
Mold Legal Claims.
4. Cover or close in securely with tarps all broken windows, damaged roof
sections, damaged siding sections, and other storm or fire building damage
to keep as much rain as possible from entering into your home or building.
The more water that enters your home or building, the worse the mold
damage your property will suffer.
5. Spray at least two wet coatings of EPA-registered fungicide
Shockwave [with drying in between, assisted by a fan after the
fungicide has worked for at least one hour] into all damaged building
areas and on all exterior and interior surfaces [attic, basement, crawl
space, each room on the walls, ceilings, and floors, plus into each
heating/cooling duct register]. If there is no electricity, use either a
hand pump sprayer [about $40 from Home Depot, Lowe’s, or a hardware
store], or a small electric sprayer connected to a small electric
generator. Spray all of your furnishings and carpeting and personal
possessions with Shockwave. For every week that your home goes unrepaired,
repeat this Shockwave spraying of both the home and your possessions.
Shockwave is one of the few EPA-registered fungicides that are rated to
treat both porous and non-porous surfaces. Most fungicides are only rated
to treat nonporous surfaces such as a kitchen counter top or ceramic
tile. What mold will grow in is porous wood, other building materials,
carpeting, padding, furniture upholstery, clothing, and other cellulose
based materials which mold growth is able to feed upon. Buy
Shockwave.
6. Learn and utilize the 20 steps required for safe and effective mold
remediation, as explained at
Mold Removal .
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