health warning

Mold is New Orleans’ Latest Enemy

By Darla Sitton
CBN News Producer

CBN.com – (CBN News) - Federal officials have issued a new warning for flood victims in the New Orleans area.

The problem is so widespread and serious, entire neighborhoods may need to be demolished.

New Orleans and the surrounding suburbs are still much like a war zone. There is no phone or mail service, no electricity, no open shops or restaurants.

But one thing they have plenty of - mold.

Their homes, many of which were underwater for days, have become a breeding ground for the spores.

When New Orleans resident Gilbert Andry went home to check things out, the stench was awful.

Andry remarked, "The smell that you have here, that's the mold smell."

Andry plans to restore his property, but thousands of homes in the flood zone will need to be bulldozed - even new homes.

"You have to get everything out of the house, all of the furniture’s gone...," Andry said,

Mold spreads like wildfire, lining walls and stairs. Holding up a moldy suit, Andry explained, "The water didn't get on the suit - it got on the bottom part of the suit and it grew up. It grows."

Doctors say that mold spores can trigger hay fever symptoms in those with allergies, and asthmatics may have difficulty breathing. People with immune deficiencies, such as cancer, may develop serious lung infections.

Pediatrician Dr. Michael Wasserman declared, "Really, what we're facing is a great unknown here. We don't know how children -- since I'm a pediatrician -- are going to respond to this environment that we're going to place them in."

But one of the biggest challenges these communities face is how to restore damage done to local schools.

And to make matters worse, crews at Tulane University Hospital are clearing out medical files and moldy office equipment there. Even the emergency room is covered.

"They are going through and gutting and decontaminating everything," said Rob Heifner of Tulane University Hospital.

Officials warn that surfaces that cannot be cleaned, need to be removed.

Yet, as bad as it is, the mold threat is only one of the problems people in the flood zone now face.

Translate Page