Good to be back recording after a very long break. I've been meaning to record, especially to share stories from hurricane recovery projects, but it's been crazy busy. 

Hurricane Laura, then Hurricane Delta, then floods in southwest Louisiana, all in the August 2020 - May 2021 timespan.

all this on along with COVID.

then Hurricane Ida hit last year, adding to the chaos. so the gap between recordings grew - days turned to weeks, then months, and now 18 months. 

this is a short episode, mainly to get back recording, and also to let you know we'll have some information coming up about storm preparedness and response. 

we've been working on gathering information that can help everyone prepare in advance and also know what to do after the storm's gone. 

leave us comments and suggestions on what questions you'd like answered.

Welcome to the Indoor Environmental Quality podcast. Thank you for joining me for this episode.

Sorry it’s been so long between episodes! We've had quarantine, working from home, adjusting to new normal - whatever you want to call it. I've wanted to do a follow up on COVID-19, but it's been tough to sort out the information and give recommendations on PPE, air conditioning, how to clean and disinfect buildings, all that. And the information keeps changing. More on that in another episode.

But recent events got me motivated to record this episode.

In this episode we're going to talk about disaster recovery. As I’m recording, Hurricane Laura made landfall in Louisiana on August 27, 2020, and if you’ve seen the news, the storm devastated the region.

I’m about 2 hours east of Lake Charles. I’ve worked in that region of the state for more than 30 years. I have a ton of friends there, so I’m ready to get there and help however I can.

Storm recovery is hard and stressful enough, and it's natural to want to clean up, fix the damage, and get back to normal as fast as we can.

But sometimes it's not that simple. Besides the obvious - water damage and mold, there can be other hazards we have to deal with. Sometimes we're so fixated on the water damage or mold that we don't stop to consider other environmental and safety hazards.

In this episode we'll go over some common environmental and safety hazards you're likely to encounter during recovery, and some tips on how to avoid problems:

Tip #1: Contact your insurance company and engage professional/licensed electricians, contractors, and consultants before initiating work. Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. 

Tip #2: Be Safe - your safety is by far the most important consideration.

Electricity - if needed, disconnect from power company. Have a licensed electrician look at your system before energizing. Check main disconnect and electrical panel (water there is a bad thing!). Also check appliances for water damage before restoring power. Beware of down wires near your home or business.

Gas - check for leaks or bad connections (sometimes structures and piping move during storms or floods).

Check the structure - don't go in unless you're certain it's safe.

Animals - watch out for animals where you least expect. You never know when you'll run into a scared dog or a snake.

Stay hydrated and wear respiratory protection (check with your physician to be sure you’re capable of wearing a respirator). Also consider wearing a hard hat and eye protection. 

Tip #3: Get the building and all the materials in it dry.

Place dehumidifiers & fans in the building. Your air conditioner is better than nothing (but only marginally so).

If no power in the building, open the windows and doors.

Remove wet gypsum board, insulation, and carpet (see Tip #4 below first)! 

Tip #4: Beware of other environmental issues.

When you're gutting the building, demolition could disturb materials that contain asbestos, lead, mercury, and PCB. Also watch out for stored chemicals like gasoline, motor oil, and pesticides. 

Tip #5: Clean, Disinfect, & Dry.

Get the cleaned up areas white glove clean—no debris or dust or mold should remain. Bleach kills mold & disinfects, but there are other options. Soap (Borax) and water are effective and there is a positive residual effect). Distilled White Vinegar is effective, and you can get it almost anywhere.

Commercial products like Foster's, Microban or Shockwave are pretty good but may be hard to get unless you know a contractor.

No matter what you use, read the Safety Data Sheets and instructions—protect yourself.

Get the building dry and keep it dry. 

Tip #6: Salvageable items.

Use a baby pool, bath tub, or bucket as wash stations. Wash dishes and utensils. Launder clothes (you’ll be able to save some of your clothes). Get them dry and keep them dry.

Appliances can sometimes be salvaged—if you dry them and clean them before energizing them. Don’t get electrocuted or cause a fire! Make sure circuits and wiring weren't damaged by water, especially if you think salt water intrusion occurred. Yes, your refrigerator and freezer will be nasty on the inside—but oftentimes can be cleaned and deodorized. 

Tip #7: Mold.

Sampling is a waste of time and money before remediation. There is no good mold to grow indoors! Remove moldy materials (check the back of your wall board and sheathing!). Clean the space white glove clean. Conduct a valid Post Remediation Verification visual inspection (and sample now if you think it's needed).

Dry the space and keep it dry. If someone tells you a “Mold Free” certificate is required, run them off! It’s a scam!

Thanks for listening! If you have tips for Hurricane Laura recovery, mold remediation, or would like to share your story from past disasters, email me.

Follow me on Twitter & Instagram - my Twitter and Instagram handles are: @chriswhitepe

Here are some links to our blog topics on Hurricane Laura:

https://wynnwhite.com/mold/tropical-storm-marco-hurricane-laura/

https://wynnwhite.com/mold/hurricane-laura-environmental-cleanup/

https://wynnwhite.com/environment/how-do-you-separate-hurricane-laura-mold-damage-from-prior-mold-damage/

Here's some other helpful information:

 LSU:  http://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/family_home/hazards_and_threats

Texas A & M:  http://texashelp.tamu.edu/disaster-recovery-guide-and-ebook.php

FEMA:  https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/31368

Here are the ready.gov and OSHA.gov websites referred to in this episode. Great information on coronavirus pandemic preparation, as well as good information for employers who are wondering how the coronavirus can present worker protection and OSHA problems.

It's good to be prepared and to have equipment that will protect you and your employees. But there are limitations for N-95 masks and respirators. And there are things employers must do (like training and medical evaluations) before handing out gloves, N-95 masks, or other respirators.

Ready.gov Pandemic Website

OSHA Covid-19 (coronavirus) information

The Ready.gov website gives information that's useful in case of any pandemic, not just coronavirus. Good information on how to prepare and how to help friends and family.

The OSHA website has great information on relevant OSHA standards, particularly when it comes to eye and face protection, masks and respirators, gloves, training, and reporting requirements.

If you’d like more information, email me. Or visit our website www.wynnwhite.com or you can find me on Twitter and Instagram: @chriswhitepe

Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in to Episode 7 of the Indoor Environmental Quality Podcast. I’m Chris White, a project manager with Wynn White Consulting Engineers in Baton Rouge.

Major League Baseball teams have started Spring Training, so my favorite time of year is here.

Today we’re going to talk about how mold and major league baseball are related. Yes, really.

If you visit our blog, you’ll see that I have two recurring themes when I write about mold problems. The first is, ironically, recurrence.

Mold problems often return if we only clean up the mold and don’t correct what caused the original problem.

The second recurring theme is that most of our mold related work occurs between Major League Baseball (MLB) Opening Day and the end of the World Series.

Soon we’ll resume Daylight Savings Time, which means longer days, and running our air conditioners wide open until sometime mid-November. And we’ll start seeing some mold problems.

Remember that mold problems go hand in hand with moisture issues. If you don’t find the moisture source and correct the problem, you may get to play a mold remediation double header.

The late, great Mr. Cub Ernie Banks was known for saying, “Let’s play two!”, but that’s baseball. No one wants to repeat mold remediation. That involves more aggravation, time, and money.

I’m glad when baseball season comes back – but building owners don’t want mold to return.

And once temperatures start rising, lowering the thermostat only exacerbates moisture and mold problems (not to mention increasing your energy bills!).

We see many problems related to the times of year when it’s hot outside and we’re getting more of those afternoon thunderstorms that show up, dump a ton of rain, then leave us with an environment that feels like a steamroom.

Most of our buildings are under negative air pressure with respect to outside. So that means we make outside air come into our buildings. On the surface that’s not a bad thing – we need fresh air to have a good indoor environment.

But we run into problems in hot-humid climates like ours when hot, moist air comes into our buildings and runs into a cold surface. Condensation can occur, and with that water damage and mold – unless we’re super careful. And this isn’t limited to just hot-humid climates.

Common problems are ductwork condensation – this can lead to moldy sheetrock or ceiling tiles.

But if we fix that window leak or building pressurization, we can correct the cause of the moisture problem and only have to clean up mold once.

Now would be a good time to look at how you manage mold and moisture issues- instead of letting those problems manage you. I know it seems early – but it may be a good idea for you to have your own Spring Training.

When the weather goes from hot to cold, many of these problems “go away” until next year. Then they come back.

A good question to start: what recurring problems have you had at your home or business? Are they tied to certain climate patterns or time of year?

Make sure you’re taking a proactive approach to your mold and moisture problems. Developing and implementing a Proactive Moisture Management Plan is a good idea.

Maybe you’ll avoid the problems altogether and you’ll have more time to listen, watch, or even go to more baseball games!

If I can help you solve a mold problem, or if you are a Cubs fan like me and want to talk baseball, send me an email at [email protected], or visit our website or you can find me on Twitter and Instagram: @chriswhitepe.

I hope you have a great Spring and Summer. I hope you get to enjoy baseball season. For me, I’m looking forward to watching as much LSU baseball and Chicago Cubs as I can.

Please leave us a review and comments on iTunes or whatever podcast player you use.

Thanks for listening.

Welcome to the Indoor Environmental Quality podcast. Thank you for joining me for this episode. I'm Chris White, a project manager with Wynn White Consulting Engineers in Baton Rouge. 

Today we’re going to talk about smells. Sometimes indoor environmental quality problems aren’t very straightforward or conventional. 

Workplace smells and fragrances are a great example. You might laugh at the idea that smells or fragrances can be a headache (you see what I did there?), but I’ve seen it firsthand, both personally and professionally.

First, a quick story: when I was 13 I took a trip to Arkansas with a friend’s family. It was a great trip, driving the whole time through the hills and valleys (to me, they seemed like mountains!) in a brand new Pontiac. What wasn’t so great was the bit of motion sickness that was exacerbated by the new car smell. And those memories have stayed with me - whenever I smell “new car smell”, I get a little queasy, and sometimes develop a headache.

“But EVERYONE loves new car smell!” - I hear that sometimes when talking about why I’m not a big fan of new car smell. But for others, that smell is a source of joy - pride even, because it represents a new set of wheels. And to be clear, I have nothing against cars, especially new cars. But that smell sets me off.

It turns out that wonderful new car smell isn’t so great - the smell is off gassing adhesives and other materials from the car’s manufacturing process. And some of those off gassing chemicals aren’t so good for us. But since many people love that smell, they can endure the exposure (or at least seem to) with great pleasure. I mean, who doesn’t get at least a little excited when driving a new car? 

On to our indoor environments - offices, classrooms, meeting spaces. Are adverse effects from indoor smells, odors, fragrances, (whatever you call them) a big deal?

Here's another story: in 2016 we had an epic flood event in the Baton Rouge area. We got something like 30" of rain in about a three day period. Impressive considering we get about 60" of rain per year. We had flooding all across our region: homes, businesses, schools, you name it. 

A lot of people were able to clean out their buildings and move back in and work on restoration. Others, like schools, had to abandon buildings and bring in temporary buildings (or "T buildings"). We had one unfortunate client that leased brand new buildings from a manufacturer. We're talking about 3 schools, each with hundreds of kids, relocating to T buildings. 

And as is the case with some prefab buildings, there were indoor air quality issues. All 3 schools had complaints.

Now, when you mention prefab buildings, modular buildings, whatever you want to call them, and indoor air quality, I immediately think of formaldehyde. Remember the Katrina trailers? 

In this case, there was a noticeable ammonia smell in random places in the buildings. 

Strangely enough, I don't find low amounts of ammonia to be offensive, mainly because it reminds me of the smell of the blueprint machine in my grandfather's engineering office.  

After a good bit of analysis, we found the ammonia's source. It was the "wood" roof deck above the suspended ceiling. I say wood using air quotes because it's not real wood, more like a modified OSB. The ammonia wasn't in high enough concentrations to be harmful, but it was noticeable, and there were complaints ranging from headaches to burning eyes.

The ammonia source off-gassed at a high rate because of our hot climate.

Indoor environmental factors affect most people differently. That’s why some people don’t mind co-worker’s cologne or perfume, while a small percentage may experience problems related to that one particular thing. And these problems range from discomfort, uneasiness, nausea, headache, and asthma like symptoms to serious side effects. 

Or some problems can be associated with potentially harmful contaminants like ammonia.

So from the standpoint of seriousness, aren’t absenteeism and loss of productivity an issue for all of us? I think so, even if we don’t actively measure their effects on our workplaces.

Other irritating items include:

• scented candles/plugin air fresheners

If you’re still with me, you may be thinking there’s nothing to this, or maybe you’ve lived this yourself.

So what do we do? It’s definitely not a good idea to ban all soaps and deodorants.  And all construction materials and furnishings have a smell. So being completely fragrance free isn’t realistic. There doesn’t seem to be a universal response to these indoor environmental problems, except for one:

Don’t dismiss complaints out of hand - the people reporting these problems want to understand that you’re listening to them and taking the problem seriously. They may be giving you an important insight into a more serious problem with your building.

Communicate and Investigate. Talk to your people, hear their stories, and ask for their help. And work on finding the source of the problem.

Some business and building owners have been sued under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) because of these problems. Attorneys have varied opinions on whether or not ADA claims are warranted for this. 

This could be a tough issue to handle because every place has a smell! And some could be impossible to mask or make go away, especially if it's related to the overall environment, rather than something we can change like cleaning products or furniture.

But if you’re sued and have all the time and expenses tied up (and you win), what did you gain? So I recommend keeping an eye out for these problems.

There’s a Job Accommodation Network (JAN) article on this topic (I’ll put a link in the show notes) has some interesting recommendations for dealing with these issues:

• Maintain good indoor air quality (absolutely!!!!)

Here are some interesting articles with more on this topic:

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/fragrance-allergies-a-sensory-assault

http://www.askamanager.org/2012/11/can-my-office-ban-fragrances-in-the-workplace.html

https://askjan.org/articles/Implementing-a-Workplace-Fragrance-Policy-as-an-Accommodation.cfm?csSearch=2510906_1

Whatever the problem, a potential short term to long term option can be ventilation with odor free, tempered, dehumidified air. Blow the offending smell right out of the building. But you have to check to make sure that'll work.

If you’ve had these problems, what did you do? I’d like to get your feedback so I can share it with others (and if you send in your story I will leave out identities and specific details).

If you’d like more information or help on how to solve your organization’s Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) problems, email me. Or visit our website www.wynnwhite.com or you can find me on Twitter and Instagram: @chriswhitepe

Welcome to the Indoor Environmental Quality podcast. I’m Chris White, one of the Project Managers at Wynn White Consulting Engineers in Baton Rouge. Thank you for joining us for this episode.

In today's episode we're going to talk about whether or not you should try to pull up carpet when there's old floor tile or sheet vinyl beneath the carpet.

Before I dive into this, full disclosure. Environmental consulting, particularly asbestos related work, is our business. We’ve been doing this work for over 30 years. So depending on how you look at the tips I have in this episode, you might say I’m biased. I’m admitting up front that I am. But this podcast is not about getting us more work.

Why this topic, and why now?

I was on a project a couple of days ago and it was that exact situation - a contractor was pulling up old carpet and found old floor tile beneath the carpet. When they pulled the carpet, the floor tile was stuck to the bottom of the carpet. 

Luckily they stopped what they were doing. 

In my experience, some of that old flooring always gets pulled up with the carpet. Same goes for sheet vinyl flooring.

But we're not talking about one room or office - this was on the second floor of an office building, probably 5,000 square feet just on this floor.

The building owner asked us to sample the floor tile and mastic. Mastic is the glue that sticks the floor tile down, most often to concrete.

The floor tile and the mastic both contain asbestos. The good news is the floor tile wasn't broken in too many places.

This kind of thing happens all the time.

By the way, this floor tile was 12" floor tile. 

A quick tangent about floor tile:

A lot of building owners, architects, engineers, and contractors think 12" floor tile never contains asbestos. That is false.

Even if the 12” floor tile does not contain asbestos, a lot of times the black mastic beneath it does.

In the case where there’s non-asbestos floor tile over asbestos containing mastic, there’s no realistic way to remove and dispose of floor tile without having some of the mastic being stuck to the floor tile.

9" floor tile almost 100% of the time contains asbestos.

What if you have asbestos underneath the carpet, and the asbestos flooring is coming up with the carpet? And what happens if the floor tile breaks?

What risk is it to the flooring contractor, or to you?

We've seen harmful airborne asbestos concentrations in work areas like these. So even though we're talking about a non-friable asbestos containing material, this can still be a dangerous area to be in without PPE and respirators.

In the U.S. some states will allow removal of asbestos containing floor tile as long as it remains intact, and then a contractor can take the carpet and floor tile to a construction debris landfill.

If your floor guy says they can pull up all the carpet and not have any of the old flooring come with it, I doubt that. But then they're going to put the carpet and the floor tile in a dumpster and then drive it to a landfill and put it in the ground. 

You know the floor tile will break at some point during all that.

I don't care what the government says, or what the regulations allow. What if your contractor follows the regulations but people still wind up at risk?

I'd have an asbestos abatement contractor do the work and dispose of the materials properly.

OSHA violations?

EPA violations?

How do you dispose of the carpet and floor tile? What if the carpet has floor tile stuck to it?

Here are some tips for handling this situation:

Tip #1:

Before doing any renovations, find out what your local regulations are, especially those concerning asbestos. Building owners (or homeowners) often rely on contractors to tell them what problems may arise on projects, including any asbestos issues. To be fair to contractors though, no one has X-ray vision, so expecting to see beneath floors or inside walls isn't realistic.

So, what happens is the building owner relies on the contractor to give advance notice of asbestos problems, but the contractor often relies on the building owner to provide asbestos survey reports for renovation work areas. If there's no survey, the contractor might just assume there's no asbestos anywhere, and they get to work. 

Tip #2:

Try to find out in advance what potential problems are in the work area. The best surprise is no surprise. It's always a good idea to get a good asbestos inspection or survey so you'll know if disturbing or removing materials will cause you problems.  If you're working in an area with carpet, and you don't know what's underneath, get a trained and accredited asbestos inspector to check.

Tip #3:

Pick a discrete place, pull up some carpet and check underneath. If you find floor tile/mastic or sheet vinyl underneath, either sample it and find out if it's asbestos, or treat the floor underneath as if it's asbestos.

Tip #4:

If you’re not going to sample materials, it's ok to assume materials contain asbestos. It's not ok to assume materials do not contain asbestos.

Tip #5:

Get a licensed asbestos abatement contractor to remove and dispose of the carpet and flooring for you. Make sure they contain the work area. This may cost more in the short term but can help you avoid problems down the road.

Tip #6:

If you're doing asbestos abatement, have a third party company (independent of the contractor) take air samples during and after the abatement. 

Tip #7:

If it's concrete only, you should be ok. But make sure there's no other flooring underneath. Sometimes you’ll see an area with just concrete underneath the carpet, then old flooring just a few feet away – all in the same room. Take it slow, and if you notice old flooring, stop work. Find out what you're dealing with.

If you run into this and need help, send me an email. I'll do my best to help anyone you know who runs into this - for free. 

That's going to do it for this episode. if you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review at iTunes or on your favorite podcast player. To contact us or to learn more about Wynn White Consulting Engineers, visit our website: www.wynnwhite.com

If you have suggestions for a show topic, please contact us.

You can find me, Chris White, on Twitter and Instagram @chriswhitepe

Please leave us a review at iTunes or on your favorite podcast player. To contact us or to learn more about Wynn White Consulting Engineers, visit our website: www.wynnwhite.com

If you have suggestions for a show topic, please contact us.

You can find me, Chris White, on Twitter and Instagram @chriswhitepe

Welcome to the Indoor Environmental Quality podcast. Thank you for joining us for this episode.

In today's episode we're going to talk about ordinary mold vs. extraordinary mold. So, first let’s define ordinary mold. Ordinary mold is the kind you might see any time at home or at work. 

We talk to a lot of people about mold. Surprisingly, we still hear “I’ve never seen mold.” But you probably have. Most everyone has seen moldy bread or other food that’s sat out too long. Or maybe crud on your HVAC grille or if you have mold around your freezer door gasket.

Another good example is if you leave used grounds in your coffee maker filter for a couple of days. Often that’ll start to grow mold.  

Whatever the type of mold you find, mold is a moisture problem. If you can manage or stop the moisture, you’re well on your way to preventing a mold problem.

Ordinary mold is also the easiest kind of mold to get rid of - wipe off the surface or throw out the moldy food and you’re done. Think about it, if you keep food from sitting out too long, or store it differently, you’re not going to grow mold. 

If you keep dust and debris from accumulating on HVAC grilles and around your freezer gasket, you won’t grow mold.

So what is extraordinary mold? That’s the kind of mold growth you shouldn’t have at home or in or buildings.   

Good examples are suspended ceiling tiles that get wet because of roof leaks or from ductwork condensation. I was in a grocery store the other day, and I was able to look at the ceiling and determine the exact ductwork path because of the mold growth pattern across the suspended ceiling. 

Often the fix for this is to remove and replace the ceiling tile, or switch ceiling tile color. This may work for a while, but the building owner will end up changing the tile again, or the new tile color will show different color mold. If the white ceiling tile shows brown or black staining, switching to brown or black ceiling tile won’t permanently hide the stains or mold growth.

But changing ceiling tiles is faster, easier, and cheaper than fixing the real problem. Fixing roof leaks or ductwork condensation is not fast, easy, and cheap. Having said that, the long term cost and time required of repeating the quick fix could take longer and cost more money. 

Or building owners will change ceiling tiles, have a mold remediation contractor clean the area, do follow up mold air sampling, only to repeat the whole experience later because they didn't correct the overall moisture problem. 

Here's some quick advice:

Do your best to prevent ordinary mold - often times a good custodial or housekeeping staff can prevent ordinary mold problems from getting out of hand. Routine cleaning is often all it takes.

Assuming we're talking about a school, office, hotel, or other large building, educate your staff and building occupants. It often helps to explain that mold is everywhere, all the time, and yes, if left unchecked, mold can be a problem. Have an honest conversation about any concerns they have - this is better than having a group of employees or building occupants becoming mold experts through a Google search.

If you have extraordinary mold, try your best to find out what's causing the moisture problem. Remember - the mold is a symptom, not the overall problem. If you need help finding the cause and determining the fix, get help from a firm experienced in mold and moisture problems, with emphasis on preventing mold problems from recurring.

Mold projects aren't rocket science, but sometimes I think people over complicate things because they focus on the mold and not on the water problem. 

Remember – if you only clean up the mold and don’t stop the water problem, the mold remediation you do now is only a dress rehearsal for the next time you’ll have to do it.

Stop the water, and you'll stop the mold.

Please leave us a review at iTunes or on your favorite podcast player. To contact us or to learn more about Wynn White Consulting Engineers, visit our website: www.wynnwhite.com

If you have suggestions for a show topic, please contact us.

You can find me, Chris White, on Twitter and Instagram: @chriswhitepe

Tip #1: Contact your insurance company and engage professional/licensed electricians, contractors, and consultants before initiating work. Recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. 

Tip #2: Be Safe - your safety is by far the most important consideration.

Electricity - if needed, disconnect from power company. Have a licensed electrician look at your system before energizing. Check main disconnect and electrical panel (water there is a bad thing!). Also check appliances for water damage before restoring power. Beware of down wires near your home or business.

Gas - check for leaks or bad connections (sometimes structures and piping move during storms or floods).

Check the structure - don't go in unless you're certain it's safe.

Animals - watch out for animals where you least expect. You never know when you'll run into a scared dog or a snake.

Stay hydrated and wear respiratory protection (check with your physician to be sure you’re capable of wearing a respirator). Also consider wearing a hard hat and eye protection. 

Tip #3: Get the building and all the materials in it dry.

Place dehumidifiers & fans in the building. Your air conditioner is better than nothing (but only marginally so).

If no power in the building, open the windows and doors.

Remove wet gypsum board, insulation, and carpet (see Tip #4 below first)! 

Tip #4: Beware of other environmental issues.

When you're gutting the building, demolition could disturb materials that contain asbestos, lead, mercury, and PCB. Also watch out for stored chemicals like gasoline, motor oil, and pesticides. 

Tip #5: Clean, Disinfect, & Dry.

Get the cleaned up areas white glove clean—no debris or dust or mold should remain. Bleach kills mold & disinfects, but there are other options. Soap (Borax) and water are effective and there is a positive residual effect). Distilled White Vinegar is effective, and you can get it almost anywhere.

Commercial products like Foster's, Microban or Shockwave are pretty good but may be hard to get unless you know a contractor.

No matter what you use, read the Safety Data Sheets and instructions—protect yourself.

Get the building dry and keep it dry. 

Tip #6: Salvageable items.

Use a baby pool, bath tub, or bucket as wash stations. Wash dishes and utensils. Launder clothes (you’ll be able to save some of your clothes). Get them dry and keep them dry.

Appliances can sometimes be salvaged—if you dry them and clean them before energizing them. Don’t get electrocuted or cause a fire! Make sure circuits and wiring weren't damaged by water, especially if you think salt water intrusion occurred. Yes, your refrigerator and freezer will be nasty on the inside—but oftentimes can be cleaned and deodorized. 

Tip #7: Mold.

Sampling is a waste of time and money before remediation. There is no good mold to grow indoors! Remove moldy materials (check the back of your wall board and sheathing!). Clean the space white glove clean. Conduct a valid Post Remediation Verification visual inspection (and sample now if you think it's needed).

Dry the space and keep it dry. If someone tells you a “Mold Free” certificate is required, run them off! It’s a scam!

Helpful information:

LSU:  http://www.lsuagcenter.com/topics/family_home/hazards_and_threats

Texas A & M:  http://texashelp.tamu.edu/disaster-recovery-guide-and-ebook.php

FEMA:  https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/31368

Email Chris White