[unable to retrieve full-text content]Water Damage Restoration Company in Minneapolis Prepares for Spring  StreetInsider.com

source https://www.streetinsider.com/Press+Advantage/Water+Damage+Restoration+Company+in+Minneapolis+Prepares+for+Spring/16495257.html

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Volunteers help clean up flood damage in Tazewell County  WCYB

source https://wcyb.com/news/local/volunteers-help-clean-up-flood-damage-in-tazewell-county

Tucson is one of the hottest cities in the United States. Surrounded by mountain ranges, the city isn’t just hot, but regularly reaches temperatures over 100° Fahrenheit. Indeed, climate scientists estimate that by 2050, the city will feel as though it’s over 105° F as much as one-third of the year after accounting for humidity. It’s hard to live with, and unsurprisingly, air conditioning is one of the most important tools Arizonans have at their disposal. And those air conditioners need maintenance.

To ensure that residents are safe and comfortable, HVAC professionals start early in an attempt to beat the heat, but they don’t work alone. Homeowners can keep their own HVAC systems running smoothly by ensuring that they are properly maintained, keeping problems to a minimum.

These 3 maintenance tasks should be at the top of every homeowner’s list.

Monitor Filters

Your air conditioner’s filter is its first line of defense against damage, removing particulates from your home’s air and keeping them out of more sensitive parts of the system, but that filter needs attention. Clean or replace filters regularly to minimize energy waste, maximize cooling, and prevent system clogs. Fail to clean it regularly, and you won’t just be breathing dirty air – you’ll be putting your whole system at risk.

When HVAC filters systems get clogged, the entire system can lock up and the ice inside may melt, causing water damage. It may also damage the compressor system. These are serious problems, which is why it’s important to have an emergency HVAC repair service on call, just in case. HVAC professionals see these cases all the time and can repair your system quickly, bringing home temperatures back down.

System Slime

Checking your HVAC’s filters is relatively easy, but other maintenance tasks can be a little more cumbersome. Take slime, as an example. HVAC systems often clog, not with dust, but with slimy bacterial overgrowth. They thrive on the moisture in the system, and feed on dust. Once such bacterial colonies form, it can take a lot of time and money to eliminate, which is why preventative maintenance is so important.

To prevent bacterial slime, as well as various molds, one of the most important things you can do is blow out the drain lines each year, ensuring that they’re dry. There are also treatments – typically bacteria killing tablets – that you can use in your HVAC system’s drain pans to prevent additional bacteria growth. Before using slime prevention treatments, ask your technician where to place these tablets to prevent additional clogs.

Cold Causing Mold

Considering the temperatures, it’s no surprise that many Tucson residents, as well as those in similarly hot environments, over cool their homes. The problem is especially serious in Southern states with cheap energy, yet Arizonans, who pay a premium for energy, are also prone to this practice. Still, in especially hot environments, it’s hard to imagine how extra cooling could be a bad thing. From a maintenance perspective, though, it can be quite serious.

If you set your HVAC temperature too low or your system is too large for your space, you may experience mold growth, typically in and around the vents. In the case of large system, this happens because they cool the space too much before running a dehumidifying setting, while in the case of over-cooling, the mold grows where the warm air in the room and the cold air of the vents collide. Simply reducing the temperature setting can go a long way towards improving your home environment.

If you do notice mold or signs of mold like an unpleasant smell, it’s also possible that your ducts are leaking. If that’s the case, then they’ll need to be professionally repaired. Mold can have deleterious health effects, so it’s important to get to the bottom of such problems quickly.

Extreme heat can cause dehydration, heat stroke, and other serious complications, which is why it’s so important to have functioning air conditioning in a city like Tucson. By keeping a close eye on your HVAC system, you can prevent major problems and spot looming malfunctions before they escalate, keeping costs down and your home cool.

source https://azbigmedia.com/lifestyle/home-and-design/to-beat-the-heat-regular-hvac-maintenance-is-key/

First Reponse Restoration — Water Damage Minneapolis Company has announced that they are busy preparing for expected increase in demand in spring 2020. The company provides 24/7 emergency water removal, clean up, and water damage restoration services. They serve both Central Minnesota and the Twin Cities Metro Area, offering various services such as water damage repair, water damage restoration, water damage clean up, flood remediation, home water damage clean up and repair, commercial water damage, fire damage restoration, mold removal, frozen pipes water removal, and sewage back up removal.

Jeff Rudek, a spokesperson for First Response Restoration, says, “We are excited to announce that we are getting prepared for the upcoming spring season so that we will be ready for any of your water damage needs. We are a Minneapolis water damage company specializing in water damage in Minneapolis and based out of three locations: Minneapolis, Big Lake, and Rush City, MN. This allows us to be at your door within 1 hour after receiving your call. Our trucks are mobile and we own our equipment. We work seamlessly with insurance companies for water, fire, and storm damage claims.”

Their primary service is emergency water removal. Water damage is quite common in Minneapolis because of storms and floods. When this happens, it is advisable to call up a water damage clean up specialist like First Response Restoration. They will send an experienced technician as soon as possible to the client’s home who will quickly evaluate the damages and the best chance of restoring the property as fast as possible, back to its original state before the damage occurred.

Meanwhile, a recent First Response Restoration review provided the company with a five star rating. Connor H. gave them five stars and said, “Jeff and his crew from First Response Restoration are very professional and capable of dealing with the worst home situations. With very little notice, in the middle of a Sunday, Jeff and his team came to my home to help mitigate a bad water situation. I feel very good about working with them as we proceed. I’d highly recommend (them) to anyone.”

For storm damage, a homeowner may not be able to locate the source of a leak. Thus, it is vital to call for professional help. The technician from First Response Restoration will be able to perform leak detection with the help of their FLIR B60 thermal imaging camera and Delmhorst Navigator Pro moisture probe. These two equipment allow them to scan for moisture and apply thermal imaging to see moisture on any surface. Once the source of the water intrusion has been detected, repair work can be done. There are various kinds of storm damage and these include leaking roofs; siding or exterior paneling leaks; broken windows and doors; leaking window and door frame caulking; and faulty or worn door seals resulting in leaking water from under the door.

First Response Restoration can also provide mold damage restoration services. Their staff are well experienced in treating and countering mold growth in homes and commercial buildings. Mold may cause certain health problems like allergy and asthma. Mold spores may irritate the tissues in the nasal cavity including the lungs, resulting into cold or flu-like symptoms. Mold can cause headaches, sneezing, fatigue, nasal congestion, red eyes, throat irritation, and more. Thus, First Response Restoration offers mold removal services to help the home and building residents avoid these problems.

First Response Restoration can also offer sewage damage restoration. They have a lot of experience in cleaning up sewage disasters in homes and offices. Naturally, everyone would like to have a sewage disaster remedied as soon as possible. That is why the company offers emergency services 24/7. They can reach the home in just one hour or less to begin the sewage cleanup process.

Those who are interested in water damage restoration services can check out the First Response — Minneapolis Water Damage Specialist website or contact them through the telephone or via email. They are open 24 hours a day, from Monday to Sunday.

###

For more information about First Response Restoration, contact the company here:

First Response Restoration
Jeff Rudek
(612) 824-0288
firstresponserestoration12@gmail.com
First Response Restoration, Water Damage Minneapolis Specialist
5250 Knox Ave N, Minneapolis, MN 55430
Minneapolis, MN 55430
https://goo.gl/maps/mTTiYDao7tGv2pmQA

source http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/4595116

• There are plenty of household items that you may be cleaning wrong. 
• Phone screens, stainless-steel appliances, and cars should be cleaned with microfiber towels. 
• Flatware should go in the dishwasher all mixed up, dirty glassware shouldn’t be pre-washed, and wooden cutting boards and cast-iron skillets should always be washed by hand.
• Washing your windows on a sunny day and using too much detergent in your washing machine are also common cleaning missteps.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Plenty of household items and appliances need to be cleaned in specific ways, and you may not be giving them the right kind of care.

Here’s a rundown of a few things you’re probably cleaning incorrectly, and a quick tutorial on how to keep your home sparkling. 

source https://www.insider.com/right-and-wrong-way-to-clean-everything-in-your-house-2020-2

Kenzie Burgess, Reese Myers, Kacie Scales and Jada Collins play a game of euchre on Sept. 17, 2019, in Teter Quad. IDS file photo and Karen Cheng

IU’s meal plans, which are required for all freshmen, will cost $100 more next year, and living in a residence hall will cost 3.8% more. The standard room and board rate will go up 3.5%, with similar increases planned annually for at least four years, adding up to a 15% increase by fall 2023.

This is how it happens: the slow and steady rise of the cost of attendance faster than inflation. Blink and you’ll miss it. The university could, and should, have done more to solicit student feedback before making the decision.

IU’s Board of Trustees voted Friday to approve next year’s prices. The purpose of the rate hikes is to pay for renovation and expansion, according to presentation slides shown at the meeting.

Next year’s increases were approved without a public hearing, unlike this year’s increases in tuition and mandatory fees, which followed a livestreamed open comment period at a Board of Trustees meeting. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education requires public hearings before increases in tuition and fees but not room and board, IU spokesperson Chuck Carney said.

Friday’s meeting occurred in Indianapolis. The agenda that listed the proposed changes was posted online earlier this month, according to the board’s website.

Asking students to watch for online agendas or travel large distances to provide feedback on major rate increases shows a lack of interest in students’ voices. Students have lived through years of bed shortages, mold outbreaks and misleading meal plan marketing. Hiking rates without consulting students builds on bad faith.

Students living or eating on campus will help pay for staggering new expenses, including a $99 million residence hall, a $45 million academic health sciences building and renovations of Foster and McNutt residence halls following mold damage, all of which are funded internally, according to IU’s capital planning and facilities website.

Residence hall projects often receive state funding. But IU’s goal is to self-fund renovation and expansion projects, including related debt and interest accrued, according to the trustees’ presentation. Part of the burden will fall on students.

The university’s bicentennial year rang in a surge of debt-funded renovation and construction. IU has planned $227.1 million in debt-funded projects between fiscal years 2020 and 2022, according to the presentation. The number was zero for fiscal years 2018 and 2019.

At the very least, students might expect the rate increases would come with solutions to the biggest problems with IU’s housing and dining. But they have little to be optimistic about. 

The disingenuous sales scheme for I-BUCKS meal plans, which purport to have large discounts despite offering little or no savings, will continue. Meal plan contracts for next year say the I-BUCKS 60 plan, the most popular plan, lets students “pay 40% of retail prices,” despite in fact having a zero percent effective discount.

IU is removing the word «discount» from meal plan materials, Carney said. The misleading description, however, will remain. The only substantial change is the increase in prices, which doubles last year’s increase. All first-year students are required to purchase a plan unless given an exemption to live off campus.

Another concern is the bed count. After multiple years of bed shortages and overcrowding in dorms, bed numbers will remain relatively static, forecasted to average 12,297 over the next four years, fewer than in the 2018-2019 year.

One hopes the expensive renovations will settle IU’s perennial mold problem for good. Regardless, students would be right to ask why funding for mold-related renovations, something the university ought to take responsibility for, will come from students’ bursar bills.

IU is joining a national trend of universities raising costs of attendance, outpacing inflation and contributing to a growing student debt crisis.

The average cost of tuition, fees, room and board at public four-year universities, adjusted for inflation, has increased more than 20% in the last decade, according to a 2019 College Board report. Annual inflation has averaged less than 2% since 2015, U.S. government data show, much less than IU’s proposed 3% to 4% annual increases for room and board. National student debt has surpassed $1.6 trillion, making younger graduates become more susceptible to economic downturns. 

The trustees are aware of these facts. Patrick Shoulders, vice chairman of the board, said at the meeting Friday, “None of us are thrilled with three point whatever when inflation is only 2%.»

But the board voted to approve anyway.

Large rate hikes are avoidable. Purdue University, for example, has maintained or decreased the cost of room and board, along with tuition and fees, for eight years. Although budget cuts are not always smart, IU should take note of Purdue’s priority to make education more financially accessible.

Most importantly, IU should offer accessible and widely publicized public hearings before making decisions that could seriously inhibit students’ ability to attend the university. Students deserve to have a say on room and board, especially when costs rise sharply with few visible returns and cover renovations caused by IU’s own negligence.

The university should not be allowed to charge its most controversial debt to our bursar bills. I hope the board does more to invite student feedback next year.

Abby Malala (she/her or they/them) is a senior studying cinema studies. She wants to become a writer (and get paid for it) in the future.

Tom Sweeney (he/him) is a senior studying economics and mathematics and is the treasurer of IU Student Government. He plans to pursue graduate studies in economics.

Like what you’re reading? Support independent, award-winning college journalism on this site. Donate here.

source https://www.idsnews.com/article/2020/02/opinion-iu-just-raised-room-and-board-3-5-why-didnt-students-have-a-say

Water leaks have forced a Wayne County judge and her husband, along with several others, to vacate their top-floor condos in the landmark Detroit high-rise 1300 Lafayette East.

Circuit Court Judge Cynthia Hathaway and husband, DeWayne Hayes, a retired Wayne County Sheriff’s employee, own the largest residence in the iconic 30-story building, a condo that is three adjacent units combined into one. The long and slender white building, situated in Lafayette Park just outside downtown, dates to 1964 and has been home to many prominent Detroiters through the years, including Diana Ross.

But the couple hasn’t lived in their condo since February 2019, following what they describe as the worst in a long series of water infiltration incidents caused by roof leaks and burst pipes. Their insurance company is balking at paying for their $400,000-plus in damages, Hathaway said, and the building’s co-op board also is refusing to make them whole.

«They’re not offering one penny for anything,» the judge said of the co-op board. “We don’t know why they are taking that position. You ask them.»

She added, “The day that this damage was done a year ago, two or three of the board members came up and saw it, so they know what condition we’re in.»

A lawyer for the co-op board says the judge, as well as the four other residents suing them and the building’s now-former management firm, are exaggerating the extent of their damages and also are responsible for those damages because they forced a stop to previously planned roof repairs.

“They caused the damages,» said attorney Anthony Monticciolo of Garan Lucow Miller, who represents the co-op board and the management firm, Professional Property Services.

Enviable condo gutted

Hathaway’s and Hayes’ once-enviable residence was completely gutted during a recent visit, with visible ceiling damage, holes in walls and a heap of trash bags filled with wall plaster in one corner. A Free Press reporter and photographer wore particulate respirators as a health precaution for possible black mold spores.

A video on Hayes’ phone of last February’s incident shows water streaming into the couple’s condo, spilling across the floors and running down the hallway. The damage and leaks left the place uninhabitable, they said. 

«The water was just pouring into all three apartments,» Hayes said as he played the video. «You can hear the water splashing.»

Hathaway and Hayes are among the six plaintiffs in two separate but similar lawsuits against 1300 Lafayette’s co-op board and the former management firm. All plaintiffs lived on the top floor and many of the complaints predate the February 2019 water incident.

«It is our understanding that everybody on the 28th floor has had water damage, but not everybody on the 28th floor is in the lawsuit,» the judge said.

The lawsuits in Wayne County Circuit Court seek building repairs, compensation for water and other damages, and also accuse the co-op board and its directors of negligence and «unjust enrichment» for charging monthly co-op fees to residents but allegedly failing to do adequate maintenance and repairs.

1300 Lafayette has had a cooperative ownership structure since the early 1980s under which residents buy shares to obtain a condo and then pay monthly fees called carrying charges.

«Judges are usually patient and try to resolve things without much conflict,» Hathaway said. “But it got to the point where it was just too much.”

Roof replacement coming

The co-op board recently agreed to do a full replacement of the building’s roof, which was last replaced in 2002 and didn’t achieve its expected 20-year lifespan, Monticciolo said.

The roof project is scheduled to start March 1, he said, and the co-op board will pay the $700,000-plus cost.

However, the co-op board and management firm dispute the large damage claims from the judge and other plaintiffs in the lawsuits, which altogether total about $2 million, according to Monticciolo.

“The claims here are beyond excessive, manufactured — you name it,» he said. “She (Hathaway) is claiming $44,000 to clean her fur coats.»

Judge Hathaway said that she and her husband’s damages, including relocation costs and bills for professional remediation services, mount to about $450,000. They now pay about $2,000 a month to rent a nearby apartment, she said, but still make mortgage payments for the 1300 Lafayette condo they no longer use.

Insurance won’t pay

Hathaway said they had insurance on their condo but that the company, Citizens Insurance, will cover only a portion of their bills.

«The insurance company is saying that they shouldn’t have to pay because it’s the co-op’s fault,» she said. «But we carried insurance and paid premiums to protect us from things like this.” 

A Citizens Insurance representative told the Free Press that it has yet to resolve the couple’s claim, but so far has paid some money for mold and for four months of living expenses. However, «in this case, the condo association provides broad insurance coverage, including for building repairs,» the representative said in an email.

The co-op board and the management firm contend that the judge and other plaintiffs are responsible for the damage to their condos. That is because they sought and obtained a temporary court injunction in June 2018 to stop further roof repairs at 1300 Lafayette. 

«The injunction caused a lot of additional damages,» Monticciolo said. “All of the damages in the judge’s unit were a result of the injunction.”

However, the plaintiffs say the injunction was needed because the co-op board was preparing to use a roofing contractor whose previous patchwork on the building didn’t last.

«They were going to put another Band-Aid on it — not a permanent fix — and our clients wanted it done right,” said Albert Salah of Hall Makled, an attorney for the judge and other plaintiffs.

Two of those other plaintiffs, Sammie and Zevadie Harris, awoke one morning in October 2017 to a torrent of water rushing into their condo from an alleged pipe burst, according to court documents.

Yet for nearly a month, the co-op board and management firm «remained unresponsive to cleaning and repairing the damage from the water,» forcing them to pay for repairs out of pocket, their lawsuit claims.

Another plaintiff is building contractor Odell Jones, who also left the building.

 «He moved out before we did,» Hathaway said, «because this place, as bad as this looks, his is worse.»

Court documents say Jones was once a member of the co-op board, and tried without success in late 2012 and 2013 to convince other members to replace the roof.

A phone message seeking comment from the co-op board for this article wasn’t returned.

Unpaid co-op fees

Judge Hathway said she and Hayes, along with other plaintiffs, stopped paying their co-op fees because of the leaking roof.

The board then took them to 36th District Court over the fees, but eventually dropped the case.

«We insisted on going to trial, and the day of trial, they dismissed the case against us,» Hathaway said. «We haven’t heard any complaints about that since then.”

In court documents, the co-op board’s attorney argues that the plaintiffs all signed paperwork when acquiring their condos that granted the board legal immunity from liability concerning damage caused by «generalized grievances» that all shareholders have, such as roof problems.

Hathaway and Hayes have lived in the building since 1996 and bought adjacent units in 2001 and 2002, knocking down walls to create their unique condo, they said.

Contact JC Reindl:313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@jcreindl. Read more on business and sign up for our business newsletter.

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source https://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2020/02/17/water-leaks-downtown-detroit-1300-tower-force-judge-out-condo/4726729002/

© Provided by Eat This, Not That! moldy cherries It’s happened to the best of us—you decide to whip up a fruit salad but when you start scooping some out into a bowl, you suddenly realize those cherries you’ve had in the fridge have mold on them. Even more heartbreaking is when you’re already eating fruit and take a bite out of a strawberry that you just now see has mold on it. Yikes. Moldy fruit looks pretty scary, and it might not taste all that great, but is it actually dangerous?

We checked in with some experts weigh in to help us get to the bottom of this age-old question. And for more on this topic, check out Here’s When It’s OK to Eat Moldy Food—And When It’s Not.

Is moldy fruit dangerous?

For the most part, our experts agree: while moldy fruit isn’t the most delicious, it’s usually not a health hazard.

«Mold on food is much more common than you think,» says Dr. William Li, physician-scientist and author of Eat To Beat Disease:The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. «Some molds,» he says, «are actually edible, like the kind you find on cheese.»

Of course, just because you like Brie and blue cheese doesn’t mean it’s pleasant to bite into a moldy berry. But according to Lisa Richards, nutritionist and author of The Candida Diet, in some cases, you might not even be aware that the fruit you consumed was moldy.

«Ingesting mold from fruit can occur, more often than you’d think,» she says, «most often without even realizing it happened.» And this isn’t a dangerous prospect.

Richards says it’s unlikely that you’ll experience side effects as a result of eating moldy fruit. She does note, however, that there are a few symptoms to keep an eye out for, such as nausea, vomiting, gas, and diarrhea. These, she says, could be signs of gastrointestinal distress.

Read more: Is It Bad to Eat Cheese With Mold On It?

What actually happens if you unintentionally eat moldy fruit?

If you do consume moldy fruit, the first thing to do is protect your gut health.

«If you want to shore up your gut microbiome, eat some fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut,» says Li. «Drinking a glass of pomegranate juice can also help healthy bacteria grow naturally in your gut.» Certain people will want to be especially careful of consuming moldy fruit though, according to Amanda A. Kostro Miller, RD, LDN, who serves on the advisory board for Smart Healthy Living.

«If you are part of a high-risk population (elderly, immunosuppressed), it is extremely important to buy, store and cook foods safely,» she says. «Someone who is particularly sensitive or who gets sick from moldy fruit may experience nausea, vomiting or diarrhea as well as other food poisoning symptoms.» She also cautions that some types of mold are more dangerous than others.

«Some of the most dangerous molds are under the classification of mycotoxins,» she says, noting that they are usually found on grains, nuts, celery, grape juice, and apples. To stay safe, be particularly careful of these foods if they have gone moldy. People with mold allergies will also want to be particularly careful of their exposure to moldy fruit.

«If you happen to be allergic to the mold, you may be at risk for classic allergy symptoms (whether mild or severe),» says Miller. «If you are concerned that you ingested mold and are having a bad reaction to it, seek medical attention.»

While eating mold once is probably a non-issue for most people, Li does note that there is some evidence that eating moldy fruit over a long period of time may be harmful to your overall wellbeing.

«Some research suggests that mycotoxins can damage your gut microbiome, which is one of your body’s health defense systems,» he says.

John Ward, IICRC, NAMP, and InterNACHI-certified mold inspector and remediator in Ottawa, Canada, adds that long-term exposure to mold can result in neurological problems or even cancer. So while one-time mold ingestion is no big deal, don’t make it a habit.

«Obviously, the more you can avoid mold, the better off you are,» he says. «But I wouldn’t stress over one bite of a moldy apple, as long as it doesn’t occur repeatedly over a long period of time.»

RELATED: 150+ recipe ideas that get you lean for life.

How can you keep fruit from getting moldy so fast?

To keep fruit from getting moldy, exercise precautions: buy only as much as you need, and consume it as rapidly as you can.

Richards notes that some fruits can go moldy more quickly than others, such as oranges, strawberries, apples, grapes, and raspberries, and Miller adds that mold will spread more quickly on soft fruits than on firm ones, as the mold can penetrate more quickly into the softer flesh. Keeping even smaller quantities of these fruits and washing them just before consuming can help you to reduce the likelihood that they will develop mold.

If you find that a piece of fruit in your bowl is moldy, you might be tempted to toss it. But you might not need to!

«Many folks toss out anything that has a speck of mold,» says Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, FAND award-winning nutrition expert and author of The Best Rotisserie Chicken Cookbook: Over 100 Tasty Recipes Using A Store-Bought Bird. «That isn’t necessary and can actually lead to food waste.»

According to Miller, you can cut the moldy part out of a firm piece of fruit, as long as you also cut away another inch-deep border around the mold.

«Also, make sure that you don’t touch your knife to the mold and then cut the fruit in other parts, otherwise, you will just spread the mold around the fruit as you cut,» she says.

When in doubt, according to Ward, it’s always best to toss moldy food—and without sniffing it, as you could be inhaling toxic mold spores.

«The best advice I can give you is to use good judgment,» he says, «and if you’re still unsure about that punnet of berries, it’s better to be safe than sorry and simply toss it away.»

And to make sure you’re staying as safe as possible in the kitchen, check out these 12 Common Food Safety Mistakes You’re Probably Making Every Day.

Gallery: 50 surprising kitchen safety dos and don’ts

source https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/nutrition/this-is-what-happens-if-you-accidentally-eat-moldy-fruit/ar-BBZYBlf

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FRANKFORT — The Department for Public Health (DPH), within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), reminds Kentuckians to follow safety guidelines following severe flooding and water run-off events from recent rainfall across the state.

Governor Andy Beshear, who today visited the Eastern Kentucky areas hardest hit by flood, praised residents for helping each other and told them his administration will support them.

“We will use every resource available to us to ensure Kentuckians affected by these devastating floods can have a safe and expedient recovery,” Gov. Beshear said. “As neighbors have been selflessly helping neighbors, our state agencies stand ready to protect and assist those who are in need.”

DPH officials have specific flood recovery measures.

“We urge Kentuckians to use caution in flooded areas, and once floodwaters recede and the clean-up begins, to keep yourself and your family safe,” said Rebecca Gillis, director of the DPH Division of Public Health Protection and Safety. “Taking the time to follow safety guidelines related to food safety, mold removal and other issues helps prevent unnecessary injury and illness.”

The following precautions are recommended by DPH:

Flood Waters

During flood cleanup, the risk of incurring wounds may be increased. For this reason, cleanup workers should be sure that they are up-to-date with tetanus vaccination, ideally before starting cleanup activities. Adults need a tetanus booster shot every 10 years. Td or Tdap can be used; getting the Tdap instead of Td for one tetanus booster during adulthood is recommended to maintain protection against pertussis. Being up-to-date for tetanus vaccine can greatly simplify the treatment for any wound that might occur. Contact your regular health care provider or your local health department if you believe you may need a tetanus shot.

Flood-related drowning is also a danger, and often occurs when people become trapped by rising flood waters or when they voluntarily enter flooded areas. Never enter flood waters unless you are escaping immediate danger. Do not attempt to drive a vehicle through flood waters. Carefully monitor the weather conditions and water levels to avoid becoming surrounded by water.

Floods can damage utilities, leading to downed power lines and a risk of electrocution. Stay clear of damaged power lines. Natural gas and propane systems can produce dangerous gas leaks. If you smell gas, open doors and windows and evacuate the area.

Home Clean-up and Mold Removal

Use caution during clean-up activities. Wear proper safety equipment, such as work gloves, boots, helmets, eye and ear protection, and chainsaw chaps when operating power tools or machinery. Ensure all electrical tools are properly grounded and use ground fault interrupters (GFI) if available. Never use electrically powered tools in or near standing water.

Homeowners whose homes sustained water damage are urged to follow recommendations to limit mold growth. Mold fungi can be found indoors and outside and can accumulate in homes affected by flood/water damage. Mold grows best in warm, damp and humid conditions.

Signs of mold include discolored walls possibly showing water damage, or green or black spots apparent on walls. Mold also has a musty, earthy smell or a foul stench. Allergy sufferers tend to be most affected by mold exposure.

If mold is growing in your home, you will need to clean up the mold and fix the moisture problem. Mold growth can be removed from hard surfaces with commercial products, soap and water, or a bleach solution of no more than 1 cup of bleach in 1 gallon of water. Severe mold cases may require an expert to clean up.

DPH recommends that doors and windows be open while cleaning affected areas. Use protective glasses or goggles, rubber boots and waterproof gloves and wash clothing afterwards. If there is heavy mold growth, use a respirator or suitable mask to prevent breathing the mold. Remove all wet items that have been wet for more than 48 hours and cannot be cleaned and dried.

Food Safety

DPH also cautions people to think about food safety if they have been affected by power outages. This includes keeping freezers closed to maintain the proper temperature for frozen foods. A freezer will hold its appropriate temperature for approximately 48 hours when full and for 24 hours when half full. If you have power outages, it is best to keep freezers closed to help keep frozen food from going bad.

Refrigerated foods should be safe as long as power is out for no more than four hours. Throw away any perishable food in your refrigerator, such as meat, poultry, lunchmeats, fish, dairy products, eggs and any prepared or cooked foods that have been above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours.

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source https://www.thetimestribune.com/news/local_news/public-health-issues-guidelines-related-to-severe-flooding/article_45d66117-15db-57ca-b873-41a89631dbbf.html

source https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/opinion/editorials/longport-picks-patience-and-prudence-over-panic-on-hall-s/article_dec69190-60ce-5fb6-9e21-74160b7b470a.html