Health

Brooklyn pols call for federal help as Sandy mold becomes entrenched

February 11, 2013 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

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Dangerous mold from Superstorm Sandy flooding has become entrenched inside walls and under floorboards, and it’s growing stronger every day, New York City politicians said Friday in a letter to Shaun Donovan, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The pols, representing waterfront neighborhoods in Brooklyn and other Sandy-struck areas are pleading with the federal government for immediate help in removing the mold before more buildings are rendered uninhabitable.

“We have serious concerns about the lack of resources that have been provided for mold abatement in the neighborhoods flooded in Hurricane Sandy,” the delegation said in the letter.

“We are also troubled by reports that some homes and businesses might have been deemed ineligible for assistance from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), particularly as it relates to mold abatement.”

Three months after Sandy flooded entire neighborhoods across New York City, many residents are still in “a state of an emergency,” the delegation said in a statement on Friday. “Environmental contamination has not been adequately addressed, and could lead to serious health concerns such as allergic reactions, asthma, other lung related illnesses as well as compromised immune systems and lower resilience to illness.”

The representatives pointed out that mold remediation was provided to victims of previous natural disasters including Hurricane Katrina.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), parts of structures that have been flooded for more than forty-eight hours and cannot be completely dried remain a source of mold and must be removed.

Representatives signing the letter include Jerrold Nadler, Yvette Clarke, Charlie Rangel, Eliot Engel, Carolyn Maloney, Joe Crowley, Jose Serrano, Nydia Velazquez, Steve Israel, Gregory Meeks, Hakeem Jeffries, and Grace Meng.