source https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/scottie-pippen-accuses-5-year-old-girl-of-drawing-on-his-walls-in-109k-suit

After Stockton Springs Elementary School closed for good in June 2017, the pre-kindergarten pupils who were the last to use it packed their bookbags and left its classrooms and hallways behind.

The school closed and was quiet for perhaps the first time since it was built in 1975. But as it turned out, it wasn’t completely empty. Mold lived there, blooming undisturbed for more than a year on carpets, furniture, doors, bookshelves and more.

And by August 2018, when a Regional School Unit 20 official came to the school after a power outage and noticed the air quality was bad, the mold had become a significant problem requiring professional, and expensive, remediation. An assessment done in the fall recommended the school essentially be gutted, then intensively cleaned, to manage the mold.

When district officials opened bids to do the remediation work April 9, the lowest came in at $145,850. That same day, RSU 20 school board directors voted to offer the mold-ridden school to the towns of Stockton Springs and Searsport — the communities that make up the school district — for free.

Next month, voters in those communities will decide if they want to accept this gift or tell the school district thanks, but no thanks.

“The school does have a serious mold problem,” Stockton Springs Town Manager Courtney O’Donnell said. “That’s really one of the bigger issues. If the town says ‘Yes, we vote to accept,’ there will be a thorough process to figure out what to do with the property. Everything from fix the building to demolish the building and retain the land.”

Last week, more than 50 people attended a public hearing in Stockton Springs to talk about what to do with the school. Searsport will hold its own public hearing on the matter at 6 p.m. Friday at the town office. Both O’Donnell and Searsport Town Manager James Gillway said they hope lots of voters turn out to the polls Tuesday, June 11, to cast their ballots deciding the school’s fate.

“I’m really happy it’s not a town manager decision. I think the selectmen are happy it’s not a selectmen decision,” Gillway said. “Decisions like that are always better to leave to the people.”

It will be the second time in two years that voters in Stockton Springs and Searsport have been asked to decide what will become of the school. In April 2017, voters decided overwhelmingly to close it, after several towns left the school district and created enough room in the newer Searsport Elementary School for all the students to fit in one building.

At the time, district officials indicated that the move could save the towns $70,000 per year and bring in additional revenue if the building is sold or leased. But it seems now that the school is more of a liability to the district than a possible source of income.

Tony Bagley, a longtime RSU 20 school board member from Searsport, said the mold was not a problem when children were attending the school. Now that it is, he said fixing it doesn’t make financial sense to the district, which has a few choices: to offer it to any community within the school district, to put it up for sale or to demolish the building and retain ownership of the land.

“The reality of what a school building is actually worth to somebody — that’s what really made it unviable for the RSU to start remediating,” Bagley said. “You’re probably not going to get out of it what you put into it. … The district is not interested in spending the money to remediate the building. It’s up to the townfolks.”

If voters in the towns decide to accept the school, it doesn’t obligate them to do anything in particular with it. In her presentation at the public hearing, O’Donnell detailed the process and some of the options that the towns have. She said that the school is about 23,000 square feet and includes a gymnasium, kitchen and classrooms. It sits on a 9.5-acre parcel that includes a playground, a field and a small shed. The property is currently tax exempt, because it belongs to the school district, but the town assesses the building at $1.527 million, a valuation that will “drop dramatically” by more than $1 million, she said, because of the mold damage.

If both towns want the building and land, they will need to work together to agree on what to do with it. If just one town votes to accept it, that town will bear alone the future responsibility and cost of the school, she said.

If Stockton Springs voters want to accept it — an outcome that is recommended by the Stockton Springs Select Board — potential options include fixing the building, demolishing the building but retaining the land, demolishing part of the building or working with investors and developers to determine the future use of the school property.

“Ultimately it’s up to the town to decide what they want to do with it,” O’Donnell said, adding that the severity of the mold may narrow the options. “That building could have been used for a variety of other things, and it’s a shame that it went the way it did.”

 

source https://bangordailynews.com/2019/05/29/news/midcoast/maine-towns-will-vote-whether-to-accept-gift-of-mold-ridden-elementary-school/

SHERIDAN — Whether caused by ground water, floods or home water system malfunction, HouseLogic recommends these best practices to employ after the flood to ensure the safety of your home and family and hopefully provide the best outcome possible with your insurance company.

Avoid additional risks
If the flood was serious enough that you needed to leave your home, take precautions when you return.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency warns that you should check for any visible structural damage, such as warping, loosened or cracked foundation elements, cracks and holes before entering the home and contact utility companies if you suspect damage to water, gas, electric and sewer lines.

Take pictures
Before you remove water and make repairs, document the damage. Take photos or record video so your insurance company or repair crews will be able to assess the damage. Take photos and videos as you repair, too.

Protect your health
Even if the water in your home is clear, which it likely is not, it could be contaminated with sewage or chemicals. If you can, wear hip waders, tall waterproof boots and rubber gloves as you clean up.
Make sure you clean or toss items that were contaminated by the flood water.

Call your insurance company
Most homeowners won’t be covered by their conventional homeowners insurance policies, but it doesn’t hurt to contact them and assess the extent of your coverage. If you have insurance through the federal flood program, know what it covers. The building property policy, according to HouseLogic, covers things like (but not limited to):

• your home and the foundation
• electrical and plumbing systems
• HVAC equipment like air conditioning, furnaces and water heaters
• Kitchen appliances

The National Flood Insurance Program does limit coverage for basements, crawlspaces or any living space below ground level.

Mitigate mold damage
Mold can develop within 24 to 48 hours of a flood, according to FEMA officials, so remove wet contents, including carpeting and bedding, as soon as possible.

If an item has been wet for less than 48 hours, it may be salvageable. However, you’ll need to decide whether it holds enough monetary or sentimental value to try to do so.

Mold growth can be controlled on surfaces by cleaning with a non-ammonia detergent or pine oil cleaner and disinfecting with a 10 percent bleach solution.

Were you recently affected by the flooding in the Sheridan area? We want to help.

source https://thesheridanpress.com/107666/what-to-do-after-a-flood/

Hurricane Michael hit Florida’s Panhandle with a sudden fury last October. It was the fourth-strongest hurricane to hit the United States by wind speed, a rare Category 5. It caused 49 deaths and $5.5 billion in damage.

The recovery, sadly, has happened too slowly.

“Many residents are living in damaged homes or trailers unfit for human habitation,” reports The Washington Post.

The ripple effect is everywhere.

The area around Mexico Beach remains devastated: debris still needs to be removed and there are homes without walls.

At Tyndall Air Force Base, all of the permanent base homes were damaged.

In parts of Bay County, it looks like a war zone. In other places, the homes appear OK from the outside but their interiors have black mold that’s been caused by water damage. In all, up to 70 percent of Bay County’s homes have sustained some form of damage.

Meanwhile, hurricane-affected residents all across the Panhandle have grown frustrated with insurance companies, government paperwork and shady contractors.

And charitable giving has not kept up with the need: Donations for Hurricane Michael were $35 million compared to $64 million for Hurricane Florence (which hit the Carolinas one month earlier).

The federal government has provided valuable assistance: The Federal Emergency Management Agency has poured in more than $1 billion in disaster aid, mostly in low-interest small business loans; in addition $141 million has been approved for individual aid to 31,000 households.

But Congress has dawdled on passing a major disaster funding bill to provide long-term recovery for victims of Hurricane Michael and other disasters across the nation.

“The Forgotten Coast” has become a sadly appropriate nickname for the area east of Panama City.

Florida’s elected leaders must see to it that every possible measure of aid — from government, business, charities, etc. — is made available for the Panhandle.

The 2018 hurricane season alone cost the nation $50 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. And the sudden impact of Hurricane Michael is yet another warning that Floridians need to be prepared for hurricanes: it struck just 73 hours after being named a tropical storm.

Floridians need to have hurricane preparedness kits that will provide them with adequate amounts of clothes, food and medication. Other major things to do to prepare for a hurricane include making a plan to protect pets, obtaining a battery-powered radio, downloading the FEMA wireless app and having cash on hand.

This is also a good time to examine your flood insurance: uninsured Texas residents received just $3,000 from Hurricane Harvey while insured residents received an average of $117,000. If a house is not in an official flood plain, insurance premiums often are reasonable. But the reality is that just about no area of Florida, where many developments were built in low-lying areas, is immune to flooding.

Keep in mind that hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30 with peaks typically in August and September; however, one named storm, Andrea, already formed before the start of the season.

The Florida Times-Union

source http://theledger.com/opinion/20190601/another-opinion-be-prepared-for-hurricane-season

Along its northbound track, Michael also tore up Broad Branch, Altha, Greenwood and Two Egg in Florida, and Donalsonville, Damascus and Leary in Georgia, just some of the hard-hit settlements and cities in both states not well known beyond their borders.

source https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-ne-retracing-hurricane-michael-march-20190530-mf7nj26gcndd5n4eozy2yphgra-story.html

Hurricane season begins today, June 1. Is our region prepared to protect its most vulnerable communities? Definitely not.

The recent chemical spills and fires at Intercontinental Terminals Company and KMCO remind us that disasters in our region go far beyond hurricanes. For Houston’s most vulnerable communities — including those with disabilities, immigrants, low-income workers, and those living along chemical corridors — disasters compound existing struggles.

After Harvey, many people didn’t consider themselves in need of assistance because they live in a constant state of need; to them, struggling was nothing new. Only when probed did some folks identify job loss, homelessness, health complications, isolation, family separation and other problems spawned by the hurricane. And even today many still live in homes with mold and other damage from Harvey.

“Disasters highlight the obstacles that people already face and make them worse,” says Ismael Garcia, a member of Living Hope Wheelchair Association. “It’s tough enough to lose your home. It’s even tougher when shelters aren’t ready to accommodate your health and privacy needs, urgent news isn’t communicated in your primary language, or shelters ask about your citizenship status before you have a place to sleep, or are considered for assistance.”

As questions of equity arise in how we rebuild after disaster, we are reminded that we must also work toward equity before disaster strikes. We must clear a path to resiliency for all Houstonians, especially the most vulnerable among us. Harris County and city of Houston officials, nonprofits, and other stakeholders must implement policies now to increase our region’s resilience and our ability to recover from disasters.

Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative recently released 34 recommendations for coordinated disaster response to increase immigrant resilience. This plan was released on the heels of a Living Hope Wheelchair Association reportthat dives into the experiences of immigrants with disabilities during Hurricane Harvey.

Drawn from those reports, here are six steps that our city and county should take before the next crisis.

1. Work with complete data. Develop ways to gather data to understand a disaster’s impact on vulnerable populations, including immigrants, and coordinate recovery resources to ensure that private resources reach those who are not eligible for FEMA and other federal assistance.

2. Pull down organizational barriers. Within agencies, identify and remedy unintentional barriers to immigrants’ accessing secure services, such as the lack of inclusivity statements and practices.

3. Provide more seats at the table. Ensure that immigrants and people with disabilities are involved in preparedness efforts, and give marginalized communities opportunities to train emergency response organizations.

4. Plan shelters for people with disabilities. We need small relief centers spread across the area, managed by trained staff and equipped to work with people with disabilities, accounting for their unique privacy and medical needs.

5. Create a plan to reach non-English media: Ensure Ready Harris and Ready Houston have an outreach plan targeting non-English media, informed by immigrant communities, to widely distribute timely, accurate, and actionable information from trusted sources.

6. Train for cultural competency: For staff and volunteers, hold trauma-informed cultural effectiveness and mental health/self-care workshops. Such training will improve access to safe, secure response and recovery resources for all Houstonians.

Local stakeholders, local jurisdictions and state and federal agencies must all work together to ensure that our communities are able to support one another and bounce back in crisis. We can all be at our best when our region is well equipped to face the worst.

Atkiss is the Harvey Systems Project Manager for Houston Immigration Legal Service Collaborative. Aguilar is the Disaster Recovery Coordinator at Living Hope Wheelchair Association.

source https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Before-the-next-hurricane-the-Houston-area-needs-13912963.php

Former NBA star Scottie Pippen has added a 5-year-old girl to a lawsuit he filed last year against her parents for allegedly defacing his Florida home with markers and crayons, according to NBC News.

Comedian Lindsay Glazer and Jacob Woloshin stayed in Pippen’s home temporarily after their house in Fort Lauderdale was damaged in September 2017 during Hurricane Irma. The couple paid $30,000 a month in rent, NBC News reported on Friday.

Pippen filed a complaint in December 2018 for damage to the property, alleging that the couple caused more than $109,000 in damage. 

But in a May 2 amended complaint to the case, Pippen said the girl, then 4 years old, caused damage to “certain elements of the property” with markers and crayons.

Glazer ridiculed Pippen’s claims in a statement from her spokesman, James Judge.

“Who would have ever thought that Dennis Rodman would be strengthening relations with North Korea, and Scottie ‘no tippin’ Pippen would be the crazy one suing little girls?” she said, NBC News reported. 

In the update, Pippen also said the renters allowed a dog and cat to “urinate throughout the home,” causing “permanent stains and unsanitary conditions.» He alleged that the couple allowed mold to grow on the patio furniture and damaged the front gate of the house, the home entertainment system, and “countless cabinets and drawers.”

The ex-Chicago Bulls player also said they failed to pay the rent and utility fees on time and stole a knife set.

Jason Giller, an attorney for Pippen, said the star had to replace “nearly every linen, mattress and carpet in the home,” as well as “the movie theater and other big ticket things.” 

«While the damages sought is clearly not limited to the damage caused by minors and pets, which alone were material, this is not a laughing matter and causing 6-figure damage to someone else’s house is both morally and legally wrong,» Giller said.

source https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/446420-scottie-pippen-adds-5-year-old-girl-to-lawsuit-against-her

[unable to retrieve full-text content]LOCKWOOD: Recent natural disasters can leave mold, mildew  Mcalester News Capital

Cleaning up after a natural disaster can be a big job, and one of the first priorities is taking steps to prevent mold and mildew in your home.

source https://www.mcalesternews.com/opinion/lockwood-recent-natural-disasters-can-leave-mold-mildew/article_a664f701-8bf6-58a5-b9dc-4836111ecff5.html

As hurricane season approaches, the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is sharing lessons it learned from 2017’s Hurricane Harvey. The CDC is concerned about people who are vulnerable to mold infections handling debris as they clean up after a storm.

They want people to wear gloves, boots, goggles and a respirator to clean up dangerous mold. But sometimes the very people who need it most don’t wear gear at all. The gear is called “personal protective equipment,” or PPE.

Some of those mold infections can have a fatality rate of 50%.

The CDC would prefer that vulnerable people, for example people with suppressed immune systems, not do mold cleanup at all. If people do, though, it’s important they use protective gear.

The health agency questioned several dozen people who cleaned up storm damage in Houston, perhaps just in their own homes, after Hurricane Harvey.

“Although federal agencies recommend that immunosuppressed persons avoid flooded and mold-contaminated buildings,” the CDC report said, “approximately half of survey participants engaged in cleanup activities, with approximately half of those who engaged in heavy cleanup and most of those engaged in light cleanup reporting not wearing respiratory protection.”

The people who did wear it had often heard about the necessity from television or a health worker.

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source https://www.ajc.com/news/state—regional-govt—politics/cdc-mold-infection-from-hurricane-cleanup-can-have-fatality-rate/QdTtzgcAAq3kQA58fYRcyI/

Industry: Home & Residential

Restoration 1 of North Atlanta receives award from Top Rated Local in their annual “Best in State” for 2019.

Alpharetta, GA (PRUnderground) May 31st, 2019

source https://www.prunderground.com/restoration-1-of-north-atlanta-rated-1-local-water-damage-restoration-company-in-territory/00156508/