Friday, November 30, 2012
Damaged homes causing illness
From NBC:
Patrick Zoda has been working nonstop for a month, trying to save his Staten Island home after it was badly damaged by Sandy. As he works, the debris cloud filling his house has also been filling his lungs.
“I feel totally drained, tired," Zoda told NBC 4 New York. "Every morning I wake up coughing."
Dr. Brahim Ardolic, chairman of Emergency Medicine at Staten Island University Hospital, says he has seen a greater number of patients with respiratory issues in recent weeks, mostly in people with pre-existing conditions. The combination of flu season and Sandy cleanup -- which has brought unhygienic conditions, dirty water and mold into homes -- is a perfect storm for sickness, he says.
"Which of these factors actually cause these people to come in is very difficult to say, but clearly, there is an increase in the number of people that are coming in with these conditions," Ardolic said.
Zoda, who lives in Midland Beach, says this cough is different from anything he's had before.
“It is a very dry cough that I have. It's not a normal cough,” Zoda said.
And doctors say it’s not just mold that could irritate residents, but also dust and insulation.
From Eyewitness News:
Volunteers on the front lines of the recovery in the Rockaways see a health threat spreading through hundreds of water-soaked homes.
"We have senior citizens in their homes who are sick in their homes and can't get out."
Like so many homes in the Rockaways, Calvin Turney's home from the outside shows little damage. It's inside where Sandy's surge has left its mark. He says the first floor is filled with mold. The Turneys are also living without heat, electricity and water.
"No heat is a problem. How much can a body take," Turney said.
The mold and cold nights have taken a toll on Mr. Turney's wife, who days ago was diagnosed with bronchitis and given powerful inhalers to help her breathing.
The Health Department says it has no guidelines as to how bad the mold problem must be before considering evacuation.
And one month since Sandy, neither the city, the state, nor FEMA has a concrete plan for alternative housing for those displaced by mold, lack of heat, or a myriad of other problems making homes inhabitable.
Meanwhile, NYC claims it is fixing 300 homes a day.
8 comments:
Ahh yes, "NY City fixing 300 homes per day". The government. It's their job, right? Not the responsibility of homeowners, or their insurance companies, or anyone else. Let's wait for the "City" to do this-- Bloomberg, right? Or the feds. I'm sure we want them to set up 6 or 7 new federal programs to do the paperwork to get this done. This blog needs to make up it's mind what it stands for.
Can you please explain to us what the hell you are talking about? A link was provided to an article about NYC fixing up houses. No commentary was offered, so how can you say, "this blog needs to make up its mind what it stands for?" A stand was not taken, genius.
Yes, everyone is zoomed on the mold at Breezy Point while the toxins at Newtown Creek and the sewage of the East River remain ignored.
People are still talking glibly about establishments opening in a few months.
I, for one, will never eat in a place that was SOAKED by a superfund site.
What the hell do we need - the outbreak of the plague to open people's eye?
The hell with someone else's investment: focus on YOUR health.
Some extreme views on both sides are posted on Crappy and if it starts discussion (as they seem to be doing) then that's fine.
We all need a time out - a careful review of the issue of waterfront development is needed as both money and, yes, lives are at stake here.
As we have all seen the time and again health hazards existed and nothing was said (think 9/11) we need a sober hazard assessment to that event that hit us a month ago.
And soon.
If a house is filled with mold you should leave it. It is not worth getting seriously sick from mold, hypothermia or anything else. If the house had burned down or collapse the occupants would be displaced. It is unacceptable that the health dept has no guide lines for mold as to when to condem a building. This must change. Meanwhile people must be responsible for their health. If some place is making you sick you must leave. Even if that means going to a city shelter.
The article about the city fixing house says that repairs are being made to a buildings electric, heat and hot water. It does not mention mold or other toxics such as spilled heating oil, gasoline and sewerage.
Some people--especially seniors--will stay in their homes even if they are risking hypothermia, even if the mold is so bad that it is causing illness, even if they are getting sick. It is not a pleasurable experience to stay in a shelter (sorry, Bloomie), but it is better than putting your health at unnecessary risk. People need to suck it up and not let their pride make them sick. Or at least quit whining about it.
Where are the FEMA trailers. The storm happened a month ago. There is no excuse for the delay.
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