"Nightly News" with Brian Williams Reports:
Mold poses health threat in New Orleans

NBC shows the reality of indoor mold after Hurricane Katrina. They interview a family that was able to stay in the New Orleans area and who attacked the water and high humidity in their home fast. Mold appeared very quickly all over their home, and despite aggressive bleach use, discarding carpets and other porous items, they seem to have significant trouble in keeping indoor mold under control. The homeowner says, "As fast as I kill it, the mold comes back."

In contrast to this family, whose job allowed them to stay in New Orleans, certainly over 95% of those homes which were under flood waters do not stand much chance of a successful remediation. This is what I am being told by talented expert remediators. Their homes are filled with mold and bacteria. One home owner mocked the idea of her home being able to be restored. She invited anyone who felt her home was able to be "fixed" to "come live in it." I suspect no one any where will take up her offer.

The NBC investigation is found at: http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?f=00&g=55a32591-8862-4cd2-94ef-e085446a1b18&t=m5&p=Source_Nightly%20News)

My other concern is what happens when the air conditioning is off in a home, school or other structure and it reaches 85% humidity for weeks. Some investigators and remediators say this is also a concern. And they point to toxic forms of Aspergillus and Penicillium which do not need floods, but only ongoing high humidity.