Important Update for Victims of Hurricane Sandy

Toxic mold is going to become a major catastrophe in the eastern coast states.  This is inevitable.  The problem will become most prevalent during the winter, spring and summer over the next nine months.  Immediate restoration is required as mold can begin growing within 24 to 48 hours once water damage has infiltrated your space.  This includes apartments, offices, homes and cars.  Immediate response is mandatory.

As of today, the US death toll from Hurricane Sandy has surpassed 80 and close to five million homes and businesses remain without power. In Hoboken, New Jersey officials said nearly 20,000 people are stranded in their homes as crews worked to restore electricity in the area at substations that had flooded, according to the AP. City officials asked for help on Facebook, asking for food trucks, blankets and coats. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie visited Moonachie, one of the hardest hit areas that was flooded from the Hackensack River. Christie has pledged to rebuild the Jersey Shore, where wide sections were flooded and badly damaged.

Residents in New Jersey and New York also had to deal with fuel shortages and long gas lines, though most bus routes were running. Parts of the New York Subway also resumed service today. In Brooklyn, residents at the Red Hook Initiative community center told FSRN that some homes in the area were still without power and people were coming to the center because of a lack of food.

The widespread devastation of Hurricane Sandy and the unusual convergence of storm systems has brought attention to extreme weather, climate change and the threat to coastal communities. In an opinion published in Bloomberg News today, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed Barack Obama, citing climate change as a key factor. Bloomberg, an Independent, said that despite disappointments in Obama’s term, he wanted a president who placed “scientific evidence and risk management above electoral politics.”

For more, we’re joined by Mike Tidwell, author of The Ravaging Tide: Strange Weather, Future Katrinas and the Coming Death of America’s Coastal Cities. He’s also the director of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.

Since there are no governmental guidelines for inspectors and mold remediation companies we suggest you hire an ethical one.  There are many sources to finding a qualified and respectable expert, but we suggest you go to the Indoor Air Quality website at www.iaqa.org to find an inspector and the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification at www.iicrc.org to find the best qualified inspectors and restoration companies in the country.  New York City Guidelines are only a basic certification but the IICRC has the “standard” for mold testing and remediation.  Beware of fly by night companies who have limited training and will take advantage of you monetarily since there are absolutely no governmental guidelines on certifications, permits and licenses.  Beware of so called “mold inspectors” who just come to your home and conduct a “visual inspection” as laboratory testing must be done in order to determine what types of mold you may be exposed to as well as the health effects.

If we don’t take care of the environment, this problem will become much worse.  The media and government want to sweep this health crisis under the rug but you, as consumers, should know the truth.  Exposure to some common household molds can cause permanent neurological, psychological, immunological and pathological damage.  Early intervention is a must as most physicians are trained and therefore biased by the pharmaceutical industry and there is no pill that will cure systemic fungal disease. This occurs when spores are inhaled and mold begins to colonize within the body.