Our view: Longport picks patience and prudence over panic on hall’s mold — Press of Atlantic City

Longport government’s maintenance challenges with its Borough Hall must resonate with every owner of an older house. Problems arise and you deal with them the best you can, knowing that more work will be needed someday.

In October, mold was found in the hall’s commission chambers and Centennial Hall. The failure of some heating and air conditioning equipment in August was one factor.

The borough started a mold remediation project that could cost between $500,000 and $1 million, then discovered that moving the Police Department into trailers ahead of work on that part of the building wasn’t possible.

So now Mayor Nick Russo and the commission have prudently stepped back, forming a citizens committee to consider all of the options, including building a new hall.

Built in 1923, the building was purchased by Longport in 1987. After three years of remodeling, it opened as the main municipal building. The hall now is a multi-purpose center that must meet building codes that have had a century to become stricter.

When Russo took office in 2008, perhaps he felt a little like a husband whose wife insists on a charming historic home that he sees as a maintenance nightmare. He had the borough make about $400,000 in repairs to the building.

Four years later, Hurricane Sandy put water under the building and that also may have contributed to the mold.

In 2016, Borough Hall had a leaky roof and officials struggled to find its cause. Then city administrator Richard Carter, an engineer, said he had traced the leak to problems with the edge of the flat roof’s rubber cover, possibly caused by architectural sheet metal detailing installed in 2000 as part of the refurbishing of the second-floor Centennial room.

The leaking into the building “only happens with the northeast winds,” Carter said. Well, on a barrier island at the South Jersey shore, that’s a common occurrence. Perhaps the leaky roof was also a factor in the mold.

After the mold was found, the Atlantic County Division of Public Health’s Environmental Unit examined the building and suggested repairing water damage, increasing fresh air, considering dehumidifiers, and addressing areas where water leaks into the building.

The borough’s finance office recently said about $67,000 has been spent on mold remediation so far, taking care of the commission chambers and Centennial Hall.

Russo said he still feels that the building is worth salvaging. Building a new one would cost several million dollars at least, and the current one has some historic value.

It opened in 1924 as the Betty Bacharach Home for Afflicted Children, a founding icon of the region’s health care industry, and later was the Winchell Orthopedic School.

Borough solicitor Pat Agnellini suggested that it might be difficult to design a new building now that could optimally serve unknown borough needs in the decades ahead, given the trend toward consolidating municipal services.

Longport opened its own public library in 2017 — also within Borough Hall — with the help of the Margate Public Library through a shared services agreement. Additional shared services could make sense for the tiny borough and call for a much different municipal building.

The 100th anniversary of the historic building is only a few years ahead. That would be another benefit of renovating and keeping it if possible.

source https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/our-view-longport-picks-patience-and-prudence-over-panic-on/article_31c8b077-6c60-52fa-a8f5-2d6ed6bce2db.html

Got the sniffles? It could be due to snow mould — The Weather Network

Sunday, February 16th 2020, 9:09 pm — Asthmatic? Your next attack may be brewing under the snow

Have you been feeling sneezy and stuffy lately?

You aren’t alone, and it could be due to melting snow combined with a fungus called snow mould.

This disease can damage or kill grass when the snow melts.

The fungus is dormant during the warmer months and it’s unable to grow in winter because cold, dry winter air prevents it from expanding.

The mould begins to infect plants when gradually warming temperatures or brief warm spells cause snow to melt, providing the fungi with the moisture it needs to survive.

Damage is usually concentrated to small patches of dead grass, but some fields can contain several such patches. The fungus can vary in colour, from pink to grey and resembles cobwebs or small black masses.

Rainy and mild winter weather in many parts of the Northeast is a recipe for pink snow mold. As temps increase be on the look out for this disease

Adam Moeller on Twitter

While the damage it causes is mostly superficial, fungal spores can trigger allergies and asthma attacks in humans.

In some cases, an antihistamine will alleviate symptoms but it’s best to check with a medical professional before taking any medication.

Because the fungal spores travel through the atmosphere, it can be difficult to avoid a snow mould-induced allergy attack — but avoiding large piles of snow can help.

Removing all lawn debris and keeping grass short prior to a snowfall can help prevent the fungus from developing as well.

Luckily, it won’t stick around forever. Warm spring air and drier conditions will eventually kill off the remaining spores.

MOULD AND WEATHER

You can’t bank on freezing temperatures whisking mould away like it does to pollen.

“Most outdoor moulds become inactive during the winter, and start to grow again when the temperature reaches around 0°C,» says Mehnaz Rahman, Communications and Public Affairs manager for Asthma Canada. «When the snow starts to melt, the mould is exposed and their spores become airborne. The additional humidity from snow melt allows them to grow even faster.”

Signs of spring come in many forms! One of them unfortunately is allergies. Remember The Weather Network keeps you up to date with our pollen and air quality readings.

Thumbnail image courtesy: Unsplash.

source https://www.theweathernetwork.com/ca/news/article/got-the-sniffles-it-could-be-due-to-snow-mold-mould-winter-allergies

Juvenile facilities in Nebraska rocked by violence, escapes — Minneapolis Star Tribune

LINCOLN, Neb. — A sudden and puzzling increase in violence and escapes at Nebraska’s two state-run homes for high-risk juvenile offenders has prompted officials to move some of the teenagers to other facilities and to consider spending millions of dollars on upgrades intended to enhance safety.

The incidents at the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers in central Nebraska, including an outburst that sent two employees to the hospital after a group of boys beat them with pieces of a metal bed frame, has shocked state officials, legislators and parents.

«It’s dangerous,» said state Sen. Sara Howard, who has taken a leading watchdog role over the facilities. «The people who are there, they want to work with kids. But if it’s not safe to do it, why would you stay?»

The complaints about the youth facility call to mind problems Nebraska has had at its adult prisons, where four people have died in the past five years amid riots and other altercations.

But whereas the prison problems have been largely blamed on staffing shortages and training issues, there has been more confusion about the problems at the juvenile centers.

The Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers were created to serve juveniles ages 14-18 who have broken the law and been rejected by other private treatment facilities.

There were two main campuses in central Nebraska — one in Kearney for boys and one in Geneva for girls — until last month, when state officials revamped the system in response to the recent outbursts. The new system uses Kearney as the main campus for processing boys and girls, while the Geneva campus will treat lower-risk girls in a less restrictive environment. A third campus in Lincoln will serve higher-risk boys and girls who don’t respond to treatment at Kearney.

Officials who oversee the facilities said the uptick has been driven partly by youths with a history of violence and who often suffer from severe behavioral and mental health problems. But some parents with children at the lockups say they are chaotic and are plagued by poor communication, a lack of rehabilitative programs and constant power struggles between staff members and the youth.

«It’s a mess,» said Prudence Waters, whose 17-year-old daughter is being held at the Kearney facility. «How is she supposed to succeed and get on the right path when there’s so much chaos every day?»

Tensions at a girls’ facility rose to a boil in August after girls broke sprinkler heads in a sleeping area. Other girls complained that the water-damaged rooms where they were supposed to sleep smelled of mold and mildew, leading to a confrontation with staff members. Lawmakers who investigated days later found fire hazards, holes in the wall and water damage in campus buildings. They also were told that many of the girls weren’t getting rehabilitative programming to deal with their anger or the trauma they had experienced.

The boys’ facility in Kearney has faced problems of its own, with at least 39 confirmed escapes this year, up from four in 2018. The number surged despite a 10-foot-high chain-link fence that officials installed in July to deter escapes. Some child advocacy groups criticized the fence, saying it would create a prison-like atmosphere instead of focusing on rehabilitation. Other critics argued that boys at the facility would see the fence as a challenge to overcome.

Earlier this month, boys who were trying to escape from their barracks-style living units attacked employees who confronted them and sent at least two to the hospital.

«The kids we’re seeing are kids who are far more troubled,» said Dannette Smith, CEO of the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. «We’re not talking about children who shoplift. We’re talking about children who have had trauma and have had a significant criminal history.»

Smith said the more violent youths will be moved to a different state facility in Lincoln because they require more treatment than what the Kearney facility can provide. She also noted several steps the agency is taking to try to fix the problems, such as placing managers at the facility 24 hours a day and hiring more staff.

State Sen. John Lowe, whose district includes the Kearney facility, said he believes gang violence may play a role. Although most of the youths in custody don’t cause problems, Lowe said staffers have told him that the most violent ones are «tougher and more hardened» than juveniles in the past.

Robin Smith, a longtime employee at the Kearney facility, said the violence began escalating several years ago with new administrators who hindered the ability of staff to discipline or restrain youths when they misbehave.

«They want staff to be nice to the kids, to be their buddies, and the kids take advantage of it,» he said.

Key lawmakers said they were worried about the recent incidents and argued that a lack of support services and staffing was largely to blame.

Howard, the chairwoman of the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee, has proposed an additional $3 million in spending to build protective dormitories at the Youth Rehabilitation Center in Kearney.

The union that represents facility employees said its biggest concern is the number of staffers available to deal with the juveniles.

«Our folks are frustrated with the management because there doesn’t seem to be any will to deal with this,» said Justin Hubly, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees.

Hubly said the problem is exacerbated by low pay and excessive overtime for workers, who then quit their jobs because they don’t want to deal with the hassle.

source http://www.startribune.com/juvenile-facilities-in-nebraska-rocked-by-violence-escapes/567922802/

West School parents see evacuation as necessary; they hope disruption at the Grand Forks school is minimal — Grand Forks Herald

The School Board voted at a special meeting Wednesday, Feb. 12, to declare an emergency for mold remediation at West, which will be evacuated as a result. Neither the date for evacuation nor the new location have been announced. School district administrators and School Board members plan to meet with West parents at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, at the school to discuss details regarding the evacuation plan.

The board’s “decision to deal with this situation as an emergency was the right one,” Radha Panini, who heads the school’s PTO, said in an email to the Herald. “We are thankful that the School Board is addressing this and taking the action needed to ensure a safe and healthy learning environment for the kids.

“I am glad that at West they are taking preventive measures and evacuating students during the removal process to ensure that students are not exposed to any mold,” Panini said. “However, this is going to cause a significant disruption to the children and staff of West, and adjusting to a new environment in the middle of the school year will not be easy.”

The board’s emergency declaration, which covers mold remediation at any Grand Forks public school, allows the school district to contract with service providers without going through the bidding process.

Some have speculated that the emergency vote signals an underlying intent on the part of the school district or the School Board to eventually close the school. It’s a notion Superintendent Terry Brenner emphatically denied at Wednesday’s meeting.

“There is no conspiracy theory, no undermining,” Brenner said, noting that the evacuation is simply a necessary response to damage caused by excessive rains last fall.

“We are pleased with the decision of the School Board about West,” he said.

West Elementary was considered for closure earlier this year, but was saved by the board’s unanimous vote to keep it open and include it — on an equal footing with other schools — in the overall study of the district’s facilities.

Another West parent, Amanda Walker, said Grand Forks residents need to remember that West “is an older building, and this is why we’re looking to pass a referendum.”

The school’s age, 71 years, however, “doesn’t take away from the quality education that the children are receiving,” she said.

“It is great that the district listened to its community and working on the (deferred maintenance),” Walker said, “but it is manageable to get the school back to where it needs to be.”

Evacuation necessary

Evacuation of West is necessary because exposure to mold can cause “asthma problems and other issues,” Chris Arnold, director of buildings and grounds for Grand Forks Public Schools, told the board Wednesday.

Also, steam lines at West “are very old, very brittle,» Arnold said, noting that workers could be burned if steam leaked. He intends to shut down the heating system and bring in supplemental heat during the project.

Air quality and mold inspections have been conducted by Lars Knobloch of Nordic Home Inspection, a Fargo-based business, with assistance from school district buildings and grounds staff.

Knobloch “is very thorough,” Arnold said. So far, testing has been done in eight schools, starting in November with Twining Elementary and Middle School at Grand Forks Air Force Base.

“We focused on schools that got wet,” said Arnold, noting that they are mainly those “with crawl space or a garden view.”

Because of their construction design, the city’s three high schools and Discovery Elementary were not affected, he said.

An inspection at West, which was postponed twice due to snowstorms in December and January, was completed Feb. 3. After three lift tests were done, “extremely high levels of mold” were found in the library and in a tunnel near classroom 2, Arnold said.

Those areas were closed off Wednesday, he said.

The tops of library books will be wiped with a bleach solution to get rid of any mold spores, he said.

At other schools, “the levels we found were far less,” so they do not need to be evacuated, Arnold said. “Century (Elementary) was barely over the threshold in one area.”

The cost of removing “moldy pipes” at Century will likely cost more than $40,000, he said. A spray product will be used to neutralize mold; the product doesn’t destroy mold but keeps it from growing.

Some School Board members questioned the cost of mold remediation, and the costs that come with it — on top of other deferred costs that are adding up at the school.

At the school district’s public forum Monday, Feb. 10, “I heard from some who were not pleased with the board’s decision about keeping West open,” said Cynthia Shabb, School Board member. “How far do we go with the cost of this (since) you’re not sure how much (mold) you’re going to find?”

But, for West, the work must go forward, said Doug Carpenter, board member.

“Whether or not we use it as a school, we need to get rid of the mold,” he said. “We need to take care of the first step.”

The temporary location for West students and staff should include from five to eight classrooms, a kitchen and lunchroom, library, music room, space for physical activity, a small break-out room for groups to meet and an office, said Jody Thompson, associate superintendent for elementary education.

source https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/education/4953400-West-School-parents-see-evacuation-as-necessary-they-hope-disruption-at-the-Grand-Forks-school-is-minimal

Public Health Issues Guidelines Related to Severe Flooding — WCLU

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 13, 2020) – 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.

For more information about public health issues related to flooding, visit https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/index.html or

https://healthalerts.ky.gov/Pages/FloodSafety.aspx

source https://wcluradio.com/public-health-issues-guidelines-related-to-severe-flooding/

Volunteers gather to repair homes as Hurricane Florence recovery continues — Jacksonville Daily News

More than a year after Hurricane Florence hit Eastern North Carolina, there are hundreds of Onslow County residents still needing repairs to their damaged homes.

On Saturday, volunteers from around the county joined together to tackle work on three homes and to help homeowners who haven’t had other means of covering the cost of recovering from a storm that damaged roofs, destroyed water-logged belongings and left behind dangerous black mold.

Gail White, who lives on Lindsey James Lane off N.C. 111 in Jacksonville, was excited to welcome the volunteers to her home after living in her damaged home for nearly 18 months.

«I’m so excited. It took a while but it was worth the wait,» White said of the help of the volunteers, working under the direction of the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church Disaster Ministries.

White said she had roof damage, with the worst of it around an attachment to the house for her late mother. There the ceiling had collapsed and mold had formed.

While she had been able to keep that area of the house closed off to avoid the mold, the roof needs replace, the floors throughout the house are weak, door frames warped and there are signs of the water damage throughout.

«I requested help from FEMA but didn’t qualify,» White said. «It was because I was staying in my home but there’s no place else for me to go.»

Volunteers gathered Saturday cleared out the water damaged interior of the attached room and prepared for cleaning the mold. The roof and other repairs are also planned.

White said she is thankful for her uncle who told her about the help available.

«I’m just thankful and understand that there are other people who have had it worse,» White said.

Eight members of an Air Force training school detachment located at New River were among the volunteers at White’s house.

«We just like to give back,» said Tech. Sgt. Nathan Garvin. «We have a small footprint and want to give back and let people know we are here.»

Garvin said they saw damage from Hurricane Florence at New River and lost their main school building to water damage and mold.

«We’ve seen this type of damage but we had money to fix it; not everybody has that,» Garvin said.

While the blue tarps and piles of debris along roadsides are no longer visible along the major roadways, Stephanie Hunt, site manager for the UMC Disaster Recovery Team that has been working in the area said there are still 450 to 500 residents in the area they cover, which includes Onslow and Jones counties and part of Carteret and Craven counties, still on the waiting list for help.

«We still have hundreds (in Onslow County) still getting their homes back together,» Hunt said.

Marine veteran Robin Lee, who has been living in a camper beside her damaged home on Old Fountain Road in Richlands, said her insurance didn’t cover the damage and a loan recommended by FEMA wasn’t financially feasible.

Lee said she had water damage throughout her home due to holes in her roof and the mold that formed in the weeks she was away after the storm.

Lee was involved with Duplin County search and rescue and was out helping others due the flooding after the storm.

Lee said she went through a hard time after the storm but would go out and do search and rescue again if another hurricane were do hit the area.

«I’m OK because I was able to help people,» Lee said. «I’d go again even if I knew my house might be damaged again.

This weekend she was thankful to see the help to get back into her home.

«It means the world to me to see other veterans coming out to help,» Lee said. A group of local Marines were among those on hand to volunteer at her property for the day.

Lee said Truckin’ 4 Troops provided the camper for her to stay in and Marco Patriots donated clothing and some other essential items that were destroyed.

The Onslow Strong Disaster Recovery Alliance was established to help with long-term recovery efforts in Onslow County and the United Way of Onslow County is partnering with the group to encourage volunteers in the community to help as repair work continues.

City and county employees were also among the volunteers for the day.

«We want this event to spark excitement in the community so others will want to volunteer,» said volunteer Gail Gatewood.

Volunteers can sign up through Volunteer Onslow at getconnected.volunteeronslow.org.

Reporter Jannette Pippin can be reached at 920-382-2557 or Jannette.Pippin@JDNews.com.

source https://www.jdnews.com/news/20200215/volunteers-gather-to-repair-homes-as-hurricane-florence-recovery-continues

‘Phone Call After Phone Call’: Frustrated Homeowners Organize For Harvey Recovery Funding — Houston Public Media

Caucus members gather at the home of Lawrence and Jacqueline Hester in Kashmere Gardens. The Hesters have waited years for repairs to their Harvey-damaged home.

At Lawrence and Jacqueline Hester’s home in Kashmere Gardens, visitors wear face masks for protection. With at least half of the house full of mold, the family lived in the front three rooms for more than two years — until December, when the local nonprofit West Street Recovery moved them to an apartment in Midtown.

During Hurricane Harvey, the storm seriously damaged their roof, causing the ceiling to collapse in their daughter’s bedroom.

Other rooms had significant damage, too, including the bathroom and kitchen.

“This was a nice kitchen. I mean before,” Jacqueline Hester said, before gesturing. “You see the walls here? Where the mold has actually set in the floor and the ceiling because water is standing underneath the home.”

It’s where the extended family celebrates holidays, she said, and her husband has lived in the house his entire life, for 59 years. His parents bought the home when he was born. The home never flooded until Harvey, Hester said.

Two-and-a-half years after Hurricane Harvey, many homeowners like the Hesters are still dealing with mold, warped floorboards and electrical problems. Frustrated with the City of Houston and its efforts to distribute federal recovery funding, they’re organizing themselves as the Harvey Forgotten Survivors Caucus.

The caucus was formed by those homeowners still reeling from Harvey as a response to the slow distribution of disaster repair money — especially after some of the same homes flooded again in Tropical Storm Imelda, said Zoe Middleton with the advocacy group Texas Housers. One of their demands is for more mental health services to be part of disaster recovery.

“This caucus is as much about improving the program and building power for lower and moderate income survivors as it is providing emotional support, because of the toll that living in a disrepaired home or bouncing between places or being displaced can have on folks,” Middleton said.

After the Hesters’ home sustained serious damage to the roof during Hurricane Harvey, the family has been battling mold and other issues.

In the case of the Hesters, the family didn’t have flood insurance, and after the storm, they reached out to FEMA for help.

FEMA only provided the family $3,000 — not enough to fix the whole roof, Jacqueline Hester said. But the agency’s objective is get people through the disaster, not to help them recover, according to FEMA spokesperson Kurt Pickering.

“It’s a surprise to folks sometimes because they kind of expect the government is going to put things back the way they were,” Pickering said. “That’s not the government’s role. That’s insurance’s role.”

Then Hester called the City of Houston, which is administering Harvey home repair programs through the Housing and Community Development Department.

“They referred me to 411, 211, 311.,” she said. “‘Well we don’t have any funds, we can’t help you, we don’t cover that.’ Or, ‘Let me give you to another company that can help you with your roof.’”

“It was just phone call after phone call after phone call after phone call and after two-and-a-half years, three years, you pretty much get overwhelmed, and we just didn’t know who else to reach out to,” she added.

Visitors wearing protective masks as they enter the home of Lawrence and Jacqueline Hester.

When the Forgotten Survivors Caucus got involved, opening the home for a tour to demonstrate the family’s need for repairs, Hester said the city’s housing director, Tom McCasland, came to meet with the Hesters. “He was very apologetic,” Hester said. (McCasland declined to comment for this story.)

Middleton said the Hesters’ house is typical in the caucus — most of these homes still have serious damage.

“We’ve been following the outcomes of the program since it began, so that was a little over a year ago,” Middleton said. “We’re feeling really frustrated.”

The caucus hopes to meet with the city’s Housing and Community Development Department in March. As for the Hesters, they have given up on waiting for help from the city and are now working with a nonprofit that assists with home recovery.

“We just want to come back to a safe, clean environment where our kids can breathe freely,” Hester said.

source https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2020/02/14/360615/they-referred-me-to-411-211-311-frustrated-homeowners-organize-for-harvey-recovery-funding/

DNR recommends flood insurance for Wisconsin homeowners — WEAU

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) — Snow piles are growing in western Wisconsin and the DNR is advising property owners to get flood insurance before it starts to melt.

“Water itself can cause mold and can cause a lot of issues as far as potential hydro static pressures against your foundation, it can deteriorate wood very easily, flooding water can also contain bacteria,” says Mike Rogney, DNR Water Regulations Engineer.

Governor Evers declared the week of February 9 to be Flood Insurance Awareness Week.

Rogney says flooding is especially likely this year thanks to record breaking precipitation in 2019. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2019 was the wettest year on record in Wisconsin.

“Going into this winter the soil was very saturated so what that means is come spring thaw you might not get that infiltration of water so they are predicting that 2020 is going to be very high flooding so we are trying to get ahead of the ball game,” Rogney says. “We are very susceptible to high flood waters, the soil is very saturated and run off potential may be very high.”

According to the National Flood Insurance Program, just one inch of flooding in a home can cost around $25,000 in damage.

Miriam Schwiebert, an insurance agent at the Potter Agency, says attaining flood insurance is important and can give homeowners piece of mind.

“In the right conditions anyone’s home can experience a flood.” Schwiebert says many homeowners are surprised to learn that flood damage is not covered by typical homeowners insurance.

Schwiebert says property owners thinking of getting flood insurance should act soon since many policies take 30 days to go into effect.

“Last year it was approximately when the sun started coming back out and people were worried about the snow that had built up next to their homes and at that point if you are starting a flood policy and the snow is starting to melt it is probably too late,” Schwiebert says.

For people who cannot get flood insurance through their insurance agent, FEMA says to contact the National Flood Insurance Referral Call Center at 1-800-427-4661 to request an agent referral.

source https://www.weau.com/content/news/DNR-recommends-flood-insurance-for-homeowners-567893941.html

EDM Friday Briefing: Seventh Seattle Infant Dies from Mold-Related Disease — EDM Digest

WHO Calls Coronavirus a ‘Very Grave Threat’ for the World

EDM Wednesday Briefing: Heavy Rains Cause Tennessee Flooding and Rockslide

2 Russians Flee Virus Quarantine, In Dismay At Hospitals

source https://edmdigest.com/news/briefing-seventh-seattle-infant-dies/

Department of Public Health issues guidelines related to severe flooding – The News Journal — The News Journal

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.