source https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/life/2019/05/06/heavy-rains-could-cause-mold-dreamland-zinnias/3652390002/

source https://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/editorials/dp-edt-military-housing-0507-story.html

New Bern’s Riverside and Woodrow communities were two of the city’s most severely impacted neighborhoods when flood waters surged up to 12 feet in the wake of Hurricane Florence last September. Almost seven months later, many residents are still struggling to make sense of the damage, both physical and mental, the storm left behind.

A drive through the two waterfront communities today reveals both the immediate damage the storm wrought along New Bern’s waterfront as well as a sense of hard-fought renewal. Though a number of empty lots attest to what was permanently lost to the storm, signs of new construction reveal that many residents are determined to return.

Woodrow resident John Rose said he is unsure where he will ultimately end up. Standing in his yard at the corner of Dail Street and Oaks Road last Thursday, the 83-year-old New Bern native surveyed the ruined shell of the home he had lived in since 1941. Rose said the residence, which he believes dates back to the 1890s, suffered severe damage from the hurricane’s storm surge. He said he had little choice but to have the house demolished.

“I had two feet of water come in. It was over the windows, it was coming in the windows,” he recalled. “When we started tearing out the walls we also found a lot of termite damage in the walls. I’ve been here a long time and I hate to leave, I really do.”

According to Rose, he was one of the few New Bern residents who were unaware Hurricane Florence was bearing down on the East Coast.

“I slept right through it, me and my cat stayed. That night I fell asleep on the couch watching TV and when I woke up my couch was kind of floating up, so I kind of pushed it down and got my coffee table and put it on top and spread my blanket out and slept there for about two days. People kept coming by and bringing me stuff. The Red Cross brought me hot food and stuff,” said Rose.

A month after the storm, Rose was forced to move due to mold growth and water damage to the home.

“They finally made me move, said it wasn’t healthy with all the mildew and mold that was in there. Well I lived through it and I’m still right here,” he commented.

Rose, who has been living with his son since the storm, said he would like to rebuild on the same lot. Ultimately, he said, that decision rests with the City of New Bern Planning Board.

“I’m just waiting to hear if I’ll be able to come back. Most times I walk over here to the house in the morning and do some work. If I could put a trailer here it wouldn’t be too bad,” said Rose.

Just down the road in the Riverside community, Colleen Myers has already made her decision: she won’t be coming back.

“They totaled my house and it won’t be rebuilt,” she said. “The lot will be for sale.”

While many residents in the city’s flood-prone areas evacuated before Hurricane Florence came ashore, Myers and her boyfriend chose to stay. It was a decision that very nearly cost them their lives.

With the river rising quickly around their house on the night of Sept. 13, the couple, accompanied by their 70-pound pitbull and seven-pound Chihuahua, climbed up into their attic and called for help. The couple and their pets were eventually pulled from the house by rescue workers and taken by boat to higher ground.

A week after the storm passed through, Myers recalled her thoughts as the rising water broke through her home’s back wall.

“I’ve never been more terrified. The whole house was moving, and then the boom, boom, boom from the water hitting it. You sit up there and go ‘Please Lord, keep the roof on.’ That was our only shelter, and if the roof comes off we’re going to fly away.”

At the time Myers said she hoped to rebuild her home on River Drive, where she had lived for 17 years. During a phone interview last week, however, she explained that after the house was condemned she made the decision to move on.

“It was hard leaving, I love that neighborhood but it just wasn’t worth it,” she stated.

According to Myers, her main struggle after the storm was simply finding a place to live. Finally, on April 1, she found a rental home in River Bend.

“There was just nothing to rent anywhere around here. It was crazy,” she remembered.

Myers, who describes herself as a “really positive” person, said she is taking the recovery process one day at a time.

“I was just happy to finally have my own place. That was the hardest part, finding lower income housing because $700 or $750 a month was all I could afford” she explained..

On a more positive note, Myers had only good things to say about her experiences with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other relief organizations.

“It was wonderful, they’ve really been great. I’d say the best organization was the Red Cross, they did a lot, and FEMA did a lot,” she said.

A block over from the vacant lot that once held Myers’ home, Bill Winter and his son, Michael, sat outside of the two FEMA trailers they’ve called home for the last five months and discussed plans for their new house.

The father and son were sharing their High Street home of 16 years with their wives and Michael’s two children when rising water from the Neuse River forced them to evacuate during Hurricane Florence.

“We got seven feet of water in the garage and four feet in the house. We walked out in waist deep water. By the time we left it had come up over the hood of our van, so we just crept out of here,” remembered Bill.

The house, which has been completely gutted, will be elevated and remodeled, hopefully within the next year, said Bill.

“We’re going to raise the house, but when we started to take the brick off we started finding problems, major problems, from the flood and just damage from over the years,” he explained. “We had to replace half the plywood all the way around and the whole back of the house. There’s no walls, no ceiling, nothing. We have a lot to do but we can’t do anything until they raise it,” Michael added.

Despite the prospect of punishment from future storms, Bill said most of his neighbors have chosen to stay in Riverside.

“A few left, but a lot of them are still here. This is home, ya know, it’s just home.”

source https://www.newbernsj.com/news/20190506/new-bern-residents-starting-over-in-hurricane-damaged-communities

Owner Darlene Eager is approaching her 18th year in property damage restoration.

She has put together an amazing team who shares her love of the business, as well as her passion for helping people. DC Eager is also known throughout the building and property damage world for their clean demolition, their expertise in the removal of mold, and their caring concern for people in hoarding situations.

One of the services that has been getting a lot of attention lately is hoarding situations. It is the well-being of the homeowner that Darlene and her team care most about. If hoarding is a concern for you, a friend, or family member, or if you just need someone to remove the clutter that may have accumulated over the years, DC Eager would love to help.

There are many reasons why it is important to declutter your home, as it can be dangerous. During a fire, the fire can spread quickly through the home, and may leave the homeowner trapped inside. Emergency responders may be prevented from accessing the injured. There is a high risk of health issues caused by the mold and bacteria when living in unsanitary conditions. And in even more serious conditions, homeowners could lose custody of their children and/or pets due to the safety hazards.

Many times, once the home is decluttered, other health hazards are uncovered such as mold. DC Eager Emergency Services, LLC is an IICRC firm certified company in mold remediation and removal. There is a lot of misinformation out there about mold and the ways to safely remove it. Darlene Eager will educate you on your situation, so that you can make a decision based upon the knowledge you have received and not based upon the scare tactics and sales pitches of others. There is no magical potion that you can spray on mold and it goes away. DC Eager follows certifications and physically removes it with NO chemicals.

If you or anyone you know needs the services of DC Eager Emergency Services, be sure to call Darlene at 717-989-5763 for a FREE assessment and estimate or check them out at www.dceager.com<http://www.dceager.com> for more information.

business-review050119

source http://www.ephratareview.com/business-review/dc-eager-emergency-services-llc-your-mold-specialists/

Compared to TIG welding, pulsed laser-welding technology is said to enable faster overall mold repair time while maintaining higher metal hardness.

source https://www.mmsonline.com/blog/post/3-advantages-of-using-pulsed-laser-welding-for-mold-repair

“It has gone down tremendously. When you first walk into the building, there is this horrific smell in the building, and then as you walk through, there’s trash all over the place, drywall, there’s mold that’s just evident by the eye,” Shabazz said.

source https://www.wtoc.com/2019/05/06/fire-savannah-summit-apartments-sparks-concern-over-living-conditions/

Dear Neil: I planted Dreamland zinnias a week ago. One day they were fine, and the next day they were dead with a mold all over them. What would have caused that?

A: Without a photo it’s difficult to tell. Dreamlands are normally very good. Powdery mildew is known to attack zinnias, but not so much Dreamlands. It would have looked like a dusting of sulfur. You might try some of the other types that have been bred for extra mildew resistance. I don’t know whether the soil might have been waterlogged after rains or heavy watering or what the problem could have been. Again, a photo would have helped.

Dear Neil: You can see in my photo that our ornamental pear is very close to our house and its roof. Also to that of our neighbors. I’m concerned that the branches will split and do damage. Should I have it cut down and removed before that all happens?

A: That’s a great question. If its shade is important to you, I guess you could have an arborist cable it so it would support its own branches. However, it probably only has a few more years before it will begin to develop some kind of problem down in that narrow crotch. Moisture and old bark and debris will catch there, causing a poor union. Plus, the branches on the left are just about to start rubbing against the edge of your roof, and that will cause major damage. It also could lean into the fence. I don’t sound like its strongest advocate, do I?

Dear Neil: How much attention must I pay to the quality of peat moss I apply to my St. Augustine lawn to help restore it after damage from take all root rot? I have a relatively average lot, but it’s going to require a lot of peat. Can I buy it in bulk instead of bags?

A: Phil Colbaugh, retired plant pathologist with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station of Texas A&M, who first identified that workaround for this fungus, notified me earlier this spring that the fungicide Azoxystrobin has shown good results in actually stopping the fungus, not just slowing it down like the peat treatment has done. It is sold to consumers under the brand name of Scotts Disease-EX. Commercial lawn care services use it as Heritage. And as for the peat, you want to buy bales of sphagnum peat (not bags of domestic peat) if you opt to go that route. It may be sold in bulk, but usually not at the consumer level. It is dried and compressed tightly to reduce shipping cost. You want it because of its very low pH. Still, I think you’ll find the fungicide more effective at a much lower cost.

Dear Neil: My bluebonnet plants are covered with seeds. When should they be harvested for next year?

A: Not until they have turned brown and rattle. You’ll have several days to harvest them before the pods start to break open and disperse the seeds onto the ground. If they’re in an area where there is no grass or other vegetation growing you can just let them resow themselves, but if you have to harvest them and store them, keep them cool and dry before planting them in late August or very early September.

Dear Neil: I have two tree-like weeds that are coming up within my crape myrtle trees. Is there some kind of weedkiller I can use to kill the weeds without harming the crape myrtles? Please don’t tell me I have to dig out the roots of the weed trees. I don’t think I could do that.

A: Your photos, unfortunately, are thumbnails — very small images. I believe one is a hackberry seedling. I can’t make out the other. Cut both off weeds at the ground so that as they sprout out with new growth you’ll be able to paint a broadleafed weedkiller (containing 2,4-D) on at spraying strength using a foam rubber paintbrush. Do not get it on the crape myrtles’ stems, and do not allow volumes of it to soak into the soil. You should, however, coat the little stumps of the weed trees. It will be taken into the stumps and carried into the roots. You might have to treat a second time 4 to 6 weeks later.

Dear Neil: My Texas mountain laurel seems to be declining. I have attached photos from 2012 and this week. I don’t see any evidence of an insect eating the leaves. What could be causing this, and what can I do to save the tree?

A: Your photos are thumbnails, but I can see the big changes. Look at the trunk to see if there is any evidence of decay or a fungus. If you see splitting or a small bracket fungus conk growing out of it, that was probably the cause. I lost a trunk on my own mountain laurel to that fungus. It disfigured the tree so badly that I replaced it with another species. I honestly don’t think you can save your tree. I wish we could have worked with it years earlier before it got to this point.

Dear Neil: We’ve had a grapefruit tree outdoors in South Texas for seven years. This season we had 12 nice fruit that we harvested in February. But this year we’ve had no flowers so far. Normally it’s had blooms by now, and our other tree is in flower at this time. What might we expect?

A: My guess would be that the tree just over-taxed itself with the last crop and is rebuilding itself this year. Judging from your photo, it certainly looks healthy. Perhaps your tree that is blooming now will provide you some fruit this time around.

If you’d like Neil Sperry’s help with a plant question, drop him a note in care of The Eagle, P.O. Box 3000, Bryan, Texas 77805. Or email him at mailbag@sperrygardens.com.

source https://www.theeagle.com/news/gardening/neil_sperry/texas-gardening-cause-of-mold-on-zinnias-hard-to-pinpoint/article_1afd76d8-6d63-11e9-93c0-3b0cdbb9f840.html

Seventeen women filed federal lawsuits against Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone in April alleging that black mold in the county’s Estrella Jail is making them ill. The women say they are experiencing nasal and chest congestion, phlegmy coughs, itchy eyes, headaches, and a litany of other symptoms.

Estrella Jail «did not comply with proper protocol for the sanitation of vents, drains in showers, and bathrooms,» wrote one woman. «There is black mold everywhere. There is no proper extermination of insects and pests … I feel out of breath all the time. I have constant chest congestion and nasal congestion. I have bug bites, constant headaches, and my vision has gotten worse.»

Estrella Jail is one of a handful of detention facilities clustered along West Durango Street in southwest Phoenix. It holds about 1,400 women, some of whom are awaiting trial or are serving short sentences, many for substance-abuse-related crimes.

The lawsuits were all filed during the same week of April and are similarly worded, indicating the women filed the complaints in a joint effort to bring attention to the jail’s unsanitary conditions and get help. The lawsuits were filed pro se; the women do not have attorneys. Most name Penzone as the defendant, others list Estrella Jail as the defendant.

Asked whether the jail has a black mold problem and whether anything has ever been done to address the problem, Michael Cavaiola, director of communications and public affairs for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, said the office doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

Cavaiola did say «all MCSO facilities are inspected regularly by the County’s Department of Environmental Services and those reports are public record.»

But when Phoenix New Times called the Department of Environmental Services, a spokesperson for the department said ESD does not inspect facilities for mold. Rather, they inspect facilities for general cleanliness.

«We do conduct inspections,» said Johnny Dilone, media and community relations manager for ESD, «but none of our inspections would address mold. Mold is not a part of the inspection. It is not something we are looking for.» Dilone said that if inspectors saw something that looked like mold during an inspection, they would notify «the responsible party,» in this case, the jail.

It’s not the first time people have said black mold in the Estrella facility was making people sick.

On July 26, 2017, someone filed a complaint with the county’s Environmental Services Department regarding «Black mold in Dorm G at the Estrella jail,» records show.

«Black mold above shower and surrounding areas; coming out of air vents. My daughter has been experiencing severe respiratory health issues being exposed to the mold. She said about 25-30% of the women in Dorm G are being sickened by the black mold,» the complaint reads.

Days later, Environmental Services received another complaint regarding «black mold in the shower and air vents in Dorm G.»

«Maintenance was in and scrubbed some areas on the ceiling and painted over some areas,» wrote June Wiese, whose daughter was incarcerated in the facility at the time. «There is still black mold in the shower and air vents. Female inmates are showing signs of being sickened by the black mold. Bleach is the only ingredient that will kill the mold. Painting will only mask the problem.»

The two complaints sent to Environmental Services were referred to the county’s Facilities Management, but when New Times called to ask if the complaints had been followed up on, an employee said to contact Risk Management instead. Phone calls and emails to Chris McAbee at Risk Management were not returned.

A September 2017 Environmental Services inspection of Estrella jail obtained by New Times cited the facility for a violation regarding «plumbing not installed and maintained by the approved methods.» ESD said the county must repair the clogged shower drain in Dorm G immediately. The department also said the county must repair the jail’s clogged toilets, sinks without water pressure, leaking coming from the plumbing closet near the showers, flush tubes in the plumbing closet leaking behind the toilets, and an issue with a chemical dispenser connected downstream from «an atmospheric vacuum breaker at mop sinks.»

Given that as recently as last week, 17 women said they were still seeing black mold in the facility and feeling unwell, it appears the county never addressed June Wiese’s complaint.

«My daughter was in the facility and she was having health problems while she was there,» Wiese told New Times. «She told me they painted over it and that was about the extent of it.» Wiese said she never heard back about her complaint.

EXPAND

Complaints submitted to ESD in 2017

Kathy Brody, legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, said she also has received frequent complaints about black mold in the county’s jails. «One person even sent a mold sample to our office to show that it was happening,» Brody said. Brody filed a public records request to see if the county has ever performed mold remediation in the jails, but what she got back «suggested that there has not been any mold remediation done in any of the jails,» Brody told New Times.

«We need to treat people like people and unfortunately the failure to deal with this mold problem is really showing a lack of humanity by the Sheriff’s Office and the county,» Brody said.

All of the women allege experiencing similar symptoms in their lawsuits. Many of the women also alleged that Paul Penzone, the Democratic sheriff who finally ousted Republican Sheriff Joe Arpaio in a campaign that promised to reverse the notorious, six-term sheriff’s cruel practices, is aware of the problem and has been told to take action, but it is unclear what the women are referring to.

«Since being incarcerated in Estrella jail, I’ve experienced frequent bloody noses, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive fatigue,» wrote one woman who is imprisoned for drug use. «My bunk to which I was assigned is directly located just outside the toilets, so I am in the direct path of the mold spores constantly coming from the bathroom. I cough a lot and sometimes cough up stringy black phlegm.»

While some people do experience allergy and irritant symptoms from prolonged black mold exposure, it is likely that other factors in their environment are causing the women’s symptoms, said Dr. Daniel Brooks, Medical Director of the Poison & Drug Information Center and Outpatient Toxicology Clinic at the Banner University Medical Center.

Mold often indicates there is a damp environment, Brooks said, and the damp environment that supports mold growth can often cause symptoms like excessive mucus production, itchy eyes, and other irritation. «My suspicion is that they have water damage, plus or minus mold growth,» said Brooks.

If many of the people clustered in the same area feel unwell, and if they feel better when they leave the area, it indicates something in their environment is making them feel unwell, he said.

Both of those things are happening in Estrella jail.

«I was right across from the showers,» said Alyssa Wolters, one of the 17 women who filed a lawsuit about the mold, during a video visitation on Thursday. «When I’m not near it, that helps. I can breathe better. There is constantly water dripping from the tops of the showers and the ceilings. The toilets are constantly leaking in the bathroom, so there’s puddles of water around them.»

Wolters said she has been experiencing allergy symptoms, a sore throat, difficulty breathing, headaches, nosebleeds, and at one point had a severe eye infection. «They are not doing anything about it,» Wolters said. «They just ignore it and act like it isn’t affecting us. It’s crazy. They haven’t even tried to clean it up. If anything, it’s getting worse.»

The health problems that have plagued women at Estrella Jail for the past two years have a simple fix, according to Dr. Brooks: clean up the environment.

«Remediate it, dry it out, it can be fixed,» Brooks said. «Look at the people with complaints. Evaluate them. Give them Flonase. It’s not rocket science. If you go in and you see water intrusion, you dry it up, that’s it. Find the leaky pipe, fix it up. Get a dehumidifier.»

«The gals that are in there can’t do anything about it,» said Wiese, whose complaint to Environmental Services about the mold sickening her daughter and others was apparently ignored. «They make complaints, but it doesn’t go anywhere. Their health is at risk. And it shouldn’t be.»

source https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/phoenix-inmates-sue-sheriff-over-disgusting-jail-making-them-sick-11279812

Are you worried your workplace might have mold? You’re not alone.

“Concern about indoor exposure to mold has increased along with public awareness that exposure to mold can cause a variety of health effects and symptoms, including allergic reactions,” OSHA states.

Mold facts

For mold to grow indoors, it needs moisture or water, oxygen, and an organic source. Molds reproduce by creating tiny spores (viable seeds), which usually can’t be seen without magnification. According to OSHA, once these spores are grown, they float through the air and consume whatever they land on to survive, including wood, paper, carpet, food, and even dust and dirt.

“All molds share the characteristic of being able to grow without sunlight; mold needs only a viable seed (spore), a nutrient source, moisture and the right temperature to proliferate,” the agency adds. If left unchecked, mold can cause building damage over time.

OSHA points out that although most indoor air exposures to mold don’t present a risk of adverse health effects, some workers can experience allergic reactions and asthma attacks. Additionally, mold can irritate the eyes, skin, nose and throat.

So, what can employers do to help prevent indoor mold growth?

Keep mold at bay

Indoor mold growth prevention is possible – moisture control is the key. When water leaks or spills are discovered, act fast. “A prompt response (within 24 to 48 hours) and thorough cleanup, drying, and/or removal of water-damaged materials will prevent or limit mold growth,” OSHA states.

Other tips include:

• Conduct a walkthrough of your workplace to look for condensation or wet spots. Fix any water leaking issues you find.
• Perform regular maintenance inspections on heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
• Keep indoor relative humidity levels below 70 percent.
• Ensure your building has adequate drainage and that the ground slopes away from its foundation.
• Vent moisture-generating appliances, such as dryers, outside when possible.

For more information, including facts about remediation plans and mold cleanup methods, visit osha.gov/dts/shib/shib101003.html.

source https://www.safetyandhealthmagazine.com/articles/18306-help-prevent-mold-in-the-workplace

A lawsuit filed by the recently retired commander of U.S. Central Command and his wife against privatized housing companies and their contractors shows the problems “are pervasive among all levels, from generals and admirals all the way down to E1,” said Crystal Cornwall, executive director of the Safe Military Housing Initiative.

“It gives validation to all of our young enlisted and young officers who have complained about these housing issues for a long time, and have suffered from some these severe repercussions,” said Cornwall, a Marine Corps wife.

Retired Army Gen. Joseph Votel and his wife Michele are suing five companies, including the owner of privatized housing at MacDill Air Force Base, accusing them of negligence in a fire that destroyed virtually all of their belongings. The lawsuit was first reported by the Tampa Bay Times.

The Votels lost “irreplaceable and unique furnishings, household goods, art, clothing, jewelry and other items,” according to the lawsuit filed in circuit court in Hillsborough County, Florida, where Tampa is located.

The fire broke out in their home on Jan. 28, 2017. The Votels were living in temporary lodging at the time, after being forced to leave their home during restoration work when a water leak was discovered in the slab of their home in November, 2016. Except for the essentials they needed in temporary lodging and for travel, virtually all of their possessions remained in their home. The Votels accumulated those possessions during his nearly 39 years of service. He retired from CENTCOM at the end of March. The lawsuit was filed April 18.

The 2017 fire was caused by an electrical failure, after a nail was driven through a live electrical line, and fused to the wire, according to an investigation completed by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Tampa Fire Department, the lawsuit stated. The nail caused the electrical line to arc, and ignited the wood frame. The damage to the Votels’ quarters was so severe that the structure had to be totally demolished, according to the lawsuit.

Cornwall said that it’s her perception that the general’s lawsuit “gives more credibility to what these families have been saying in terms of negligence and poor maintenance.” She said she finds it interesting that he waited until after he retired to file the lawsuit.

Cornwall was among the military spouses who testified Feb. 13 before the Senate Armed Services Committee about problems military families have had with mold, vermin, water leaks and other issues. Some problems have arisen because of defects in construction.

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The Votel lawsuit will hopefully set a precedent for military families who find that their last recourse in getting help for some of their financial losses they attribute to privatized housing issues, said Amie Norquist, whose husband is a Green Beret soldier stationed at MacDill.

“I’m thankful they are doing this because it’s a precedent for other families,” she said, adding that she hopes the Votels “will be able to gain some peace back in their lives and enjoy their retirement.”

The Votels’ lawsuit, said Norquist, is an encouragement for other families.

It’s “a way that we can see there’s hope for things we can do for our families,” Norquist said.

The Norquists moved off base because “we couldn’t trust that our home would be safe,” she said, and were concerned about sickness in the family they attributed to mold.

She estimates their financial losses at between $40,000 to $50,000, after having to dispose of mold-contaminated furniture, mattresses and other items, and paying medical copays for numerous doctor visits. All of her four children have had medical issues, she said. Her husband was pulled from deployments as a Green Beret because of the family health issues, she said.

“It’s amazing [the Votels] have to go to the level of filing a lawsuit to actually be reimbursed for their losses,” Norquist said, adding that she and her husband are also considering that as a last resort for reimbursement for their lost property.

The Votels’ lawsuit was filed in the Hillsborough County, Florida, Circuit Court. Information was not available on the value of the belongings the Votels lost. In order to be under the jurisdiction of the circuit court, the lawsuit must involve amounts of more than $15,000.

Votel declined comment about the lawsuit.

Defendants named in the lawsuit are AMC East Communities, owners of the privatized housing at MacDill AFB, and Michaels Management Services, Inc., the property manager, as well as companies that were reportedly contracted to do the work, Damage Recovery, LLC, Fuller Construction Group, LLC, and Dri-Ez.

Officials at AMC East Communities couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.

Ron Hansen, president of Michaels Management Services, said the contractors weren’t working for Michaels, as the property manager, but for the owners, because the water leak had reportedly been a warranty issue. “I certainly sympathize with the Votels. I know it’s a terrible loss to lose those memories,” Hansen said.

Officials at Damage Recovery couldn’t be immediately reached for comment. Fuller Construction Group’s phone has been disconnected, and is reportedly out of business.

According to Votel’s attorney, Andra T. Dreyfus, defendant Dri-Ez has been dropped from the case.

The Votel’s house also had issues with mold associated with the water leak, according to a story in the Tampa Bay Times written as Votel was retiring from CentCom. That issue is not part of the lawsuit. Families at MacDill and a number of other military installations have complained about mold and other problems in their housing.

During Votel’s military career, he and his wife traveled the world and accumulated unique, irreplaceable and invaluable items. Their loss included family heirlooms and children’s and family memorabilia, as well as a lifetime’s collection of fine books, jewelry, china, cookware, glassware, flatware, table and bed linens, silver, crystal, a house full of furniture, shoes, clothing, accessories and other items. furnishings, household goods, art, clothing, jewelry and other items,” according to the lawsuit.

Michele Votel is also an experienced collector of fine art and antiques, according to the lawsuit.

Some of destroyed items were gifts from many world leaders, as well as unique items of great historical and cultural significance.

Votel has also received many commemorative items from the men and women he served with to honor his leadership, according to the lawsuit. “All of these items held great meaning to [Votel], and can never be replaced.

“Some of these people lost their lives in service to our country.”

Military Times managing editor Howard Altman contributed to this article.

source https://www.militarytimes.com/pay-benefits/2019/05/02/retired-centcom-commanders-lawsuit-against-privatized-housing-owners-gives-validation-to-issue-advocate-says/