Atlanta, GA—July 1, 2010—When flash flooding strikes your home, the confusion and mess can
make it hard to think clearly. Assuming there are no health-related emergencies that take
precedence, your number-one priority is to dry the area as quickly as possible.

“A few hours can mean the difference between sustaining water damage only—which is bad
enough—and developing a serious mold problem, which makes the situation much worse,” says
Michael A. Beuerlein, CIEC, CMRS, owner and president of Eagle Indoor Air in Atlanta.

• Don’t wait for your insurance adjuster to arrive. Take plenty of pictures and notes to
  document the situation, and then get started drying the area. Unless you have flood
  insurance, your homeowners policy likely won’t cover water damage anyway.
• If flooding is limited to a small geographic area or is confined to your house, call your
  local remediation contractor for advice. However, if the whole city is flooded, you’ll
  have difficulty reaching anyone right away, so start the drying process yourself.
• Generally speaking, it takes about 48 hours for mold to start growing on wet surfaces.
  Don’t delay, because it may take that long to get the area dry.

Drying the Flooded Area

Your first order of business is removing any standing water. Be sure to shut off the power and
gas before entering standing water (if you have any question whatsoever, contact an electrician
first). Remove water with a wet/dry vacuum, sump pumps, buckets—whatever it takes. Wear
rubber gloves and boots at the very least, and a dust mask if you have it; no one with serious
health issues or a weak immune system should touch the water at all. Scrub your skin
thoroughly with soap and warm water after you’re done.

If it’s a true flash flood (meaning water is coming in from outside, not from a burst pipe or other
indoor water source), the water will have touched the ground before it entered the house. This
water is called “Category 3″ water, which means insurance and remediation companies consider
it the equivalent of sewage, whether or not it actually contains any. Experts strongly
recommend that you throw out any porous material that this water touches—drywall, carpet,
padding, furniture, etc.

Once water is no longer standing, use dehumidifiers and run fans to get the area dry as quickly
as possible.

When to Wait on a Professional

There are a few situations that warrant waiting for professional help before dealing with
flooding in the home:

• The water in the flooded area smells like sewage. Don’t risk exposing yourself to serious
  disease—wait for a remediation contractor.
• You can’t shut off the power or gas without wading through standing water, or you have
  questions as to whether these systems can be disabled. This situation calls for an
  electrician.
• Mold is beginning to grow. If you’ve tried to get the area dry but mold growth begins
  anyway, keep running your fans or dehumidifiers but call a certified mold professional
  to inspect the premises. Consult the Indoor Air Quality Association directory for a list of
  certified professionals.

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Atlanta, GA—June 1, 2010—The economy’s slow recovery means consumers are still watching
their pennies carefully. But it’s a potentially disastrous mistake to try to lower your utility bill by
turning off your air conditioner in the middle of summer.

“Air conditioning isn’t just about cool air,” says Michael Beuerlein, CIEC, CMRS, owner and
president of Eagle Indoor Air in Atlanta. “Your air conditioning unit, whether central or localized,
serves as a dehumidifier for humid outside air entering the home.”

Mold thrives in warm, humid environments, the kind created in the absence of air conditioning.
The modest amount you’d save by switching your air conditioner off while you’re at work or on
vacation is nothing compared to the cost of a serious mold remediation, which frequently
reaches into the thousands of dollars.

Tips for managing your air conditioning use to save money, conserve energy, and prevent mold:

• Keep your thermostat set on the high side—just don’t turn the unit off altogether.
  78°F is considered an energy-conserving setting that still maintains comfort for people
  inside the house.
• 80°F is the recommended setting when you’re going to be away from home for a length
  of time.
• Make sure the fan is set to run only when the compressor runs (the “Auto” setting
  rather than “On”) so that the fan doesn’t pull outside air into your house without
  cooling and dehumidifying it first.
• Monitor your home’s indoor relative humidity to make sure you’re getting enough
  dehumidification from your air conditioner to prevent mold. An inexpensive humidity
  monitor from a hardware store works just fine. The ideal reading is 35% to 55%;
  readings above 55% are a signal that your house is too humid and you may be having air
  conditioning problems. Mold growth typically begins at 60% relative humidity.

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Atlanta, GA—August 1, 2010—There’s plenty of hype about the substance known as “toxic black
mold”—hype that’s often designed to profit from homeowners’ fears.

The phrase “toxic black mold” is commonly used to describe the genus Stachybotrys, which is a
relatively common type of mold associated with moist environments. “In general, I find
Stachybotrys in air samples for buildings where severe water damage has occurred,” says
Michael Beuerlein, CIEC, CMRS, owner and president of Eagle Indoor Air in Atlanta. “It isn’t rare,
but it isn’t that common, either. It simply requires a lot of moisture and a readily available food
source, typically something cellulose-based—drywall, paper, wood, cardboard.”

Stachybotrys does produce a toxin and has been linked anecdotally to a variety of health effects,
and as such it should be taken seriously. Still, you shouldn’t be alarmed just because you find
black mold growing in your house. There are many types of mold that are dark or black in color
that aren’t Stachybotrys, and even if you do have Stachybotrys, that doesn’t necessarily mean
you’re going to get sick.

“Reaction to different types of mold is highly individual,” Beuerlein says. “Many molds actually
produce toxins, but they don’t get the press that Stachybotrys does.”

If you have mold growth in your home that you’re concerned about, call a mold professional
certified by the Indoor Air Quality Association. Only a professional can assess whether
Stachybotrys is present, and then only with sampling. Beware of contractors who claim to be
able to tell what type of mold you have just by looking at it—and then recommend expensive
cleanup services. Mold remediation procedures should always be based on individual
circumstances—how much mold there is, where it’s growing, whether it’s causing building
damage, how much is becoming airborne—not just on the type of mold present.

If you’re having health symptoms that you fear may be related to mold, consult your family
physician for advice.

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