Slow Cleanup from Sandy & The Next Big Issue: Mold

I was driving through Union Beach recently, and I was shocked at the slow pace of progress from Hurricane Sandy. I spoke with some residents who are very frustrated with the situation as well.

It has been six months since the storm hit, and in some areas of the town it looks like the storm came through last week. Something has to be done to help these people in areas like Union Beach and Keansburg to get back on the right track.

The debris cleanup is a huge issue, I looked into it before I took to writing this post,and I could find only a NJ DEP statement from May 10 about a Barnegat Bay
cleanup project. Now I do not mean to diminish the work they are doing in Barnegat Bay because that area got hit badly as well, I think the DEP and Governor Christie need to do something rather urgently to provide funding for other barrier island areas as well as the Raritan Bay towns I mentioned earlier: Union Beach and Keansburg.

I drove through several neighborhoods where the debris was still piled in the front
yards of some of these residences, and that is a big issue from a health hazard
perspective and a safety perspective.

The next big issue: Mold

I also observed some homes being renovated or totally rebuilt, and my wife brought up a good point: what is being done about mold remediation. I hope the people in the affected areas know that mold testing should be done to evaluate the safety of the home. This is especially true for families living in the second floor of a home that took on water on their first floor; you are living in a potentially very dangerous situation.

Now, I speak from experience because my wife and I are also displaced by Sandy, but many years ago we lived in a first floor apartment in Eatontown, and the complex flooded. We were exposed to eight different types of mold, all at toxic levels!

We were able to break our lease after living there only two months because we
both got very sick after the flood. We both ended up with major health issues
that will affect us for the rest of our lives because of the mold exposure.

I know it is expensive to get the mold remediation done, and even after it is done it is recommended that you get an air sample clearance test done. The rationale
behind that is that even if the mold is remediated, the original flood damage
could cause the mold to spread and it can still be airborne.

The expense is only a small portion of what the medical bills, and lost work hours would cost you if you get sick from mold exposure. Please also keep in mind that children and the elderly are very suceptible to mold related illnesses.

A Call to Action

We need action to move this situation forward; we need action from Trenton to get this done. The Governor and our elected officials need to help the people in Union Beach, Keansburg, Keyport, Highlands, and other towns that are trying to get lives back on track from Sandy.  We need to make it happen.