TAMPA, Fla. — One of the biggest concerns people are now dealing with is the possibility of mold in their homes.
We’ve had two hurricanes in two weeks, with flooding all along the Gulf of Mexico, local rivers, and Tampa Bay. We spoke to a mold remediation expert who said the demand for his services is so great he can’t reach everyone. He has some advice for you if you have water in your home.
“It’s been non-stop"
Restoration workers ripping out drywall contaminated by flood water is a common sight around Tampa Bay. Piles of once precious belongings have been flung to curbs along street after street, in neighborhood after neighborhood.
“It’s been non-stop. I've got people in chronological order. Waiting for their turn in line,” said Ari Figueroa, who is the owner of Flood Pro of Florida.
Figueroa's home had flood damage from Hurricane Milton. He said the sooner you address water intrusion, the better.
“You want to do a disinfecting treatment. You want to be able to get dehumidification going as well,” he said.
Ari said there are things you can do, even if without power.
“We can go ahead and open the windows, let that cool air come in, and do a surface drying temporarily,” Figueroa said.
When power is restored, he suggests using wet vacs, fans, and dehumidifiers to dry surfaces. But he said you shouldn’t hang onto anything soaked by floodwater.
“What's embedded in the material’s the problem. You can clean and decontaminate the surface, but what’s embedded in the porous material is the concern,” Figueroa said.
Quotes ranged from $7,000 to $30,000 for the same job
“The water was up about right here. About two feet,” AJ Gross said, showing us around his home off Westshore Blvd.
Hurricane Helene flooded Gross' home.
“We had a big, nice rug in here, which we lost. All hardwood floor came up,” Gross said.
Crews removed four feet of drywall on the bottom floor and hauled away furniture, toys, and other family belongings. Since his insurance company already wrote a check, he said it was important to choose contractors carefully.
“I got a quote for the first time that was $30,000, and we ended up paying about $7,000 to do it," Gross said. "So there’s people who are going to be throwing around all different prices out there."
Ari said if you have water damage, you should contact both your flood and homeowner’s insurance since one policy might cover what the other doesn’t. You should also keep receipts for out-of-pocket expenses, like cleanup supplies, hotel rooms, and food.
“Essentially, just try to build a file. Same thing with picture and video documentation. Very important for the claims process,” Figeroa said.
With thousands still without power in South Florida, TECO is continuing to work day and night on getting the lights back on. "We know how frustrating it is, how inconvenient it is not to have power, and so the team is really committed to the cause," says CEO Archie Collins.