South Carolina volunteer organizations active in disaster (VOAD) have been concerned from the beginning with the dangers and extent of mold.
South Carolina Public Radio’s Vince Kolb-Lugo spoke with two SC VOADs about what they are doing to help low-income homeowners get back into their homes.
Treating a home for mold takes specialized equipment most volunteer organizations don’t have. In Richland County, coordinating the long-term recovery group is United Way of the Midlands. Through donations and grants, the UWM provides South Carolina volunteer organizations active in disaster (VOADs), like the St. Bernard Project and All Hands Volunteers, access to professional grade equipment and training in mold remediation.
Through donations and grants, UWM has purchased two sets of mold remediation equipment:
- Dehumidifiers, fans, air scrubbers, protective masks and suits
- “Starter kits” for other volunteer organizations who will work on homes after being trained.
Anita Floyd, Senior Vice President of Community Impact and Strategic Implementation for United Way of the Midlands, said through e-mail that the chapter hopes to acquire more kits and additional sets of drying-out equipment to create a library of supplies for South Carolina VOADs to help communities recover and rebuild.
Also providing long-term disaster case management services throughout the state is Hearts & Hands Disaster Recovery, a joint disaster case management intake service set up with funding through the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce. Homeowners still in need of long-term assistance should call 2-1-1 (a service of the United Way of South Carolina), where callers will be linked with a disaster case manager trained to connect flood-impacted survivors with resources and assist them with disaster recovery planning.
More Than Mucking and Gutting
Removing portions of the wall, floor, ceiling, and insulation that are contaminated with mold – mucking and gutting – is only one small step in long-term recovery. In order to ensure that mold does not return, volunteer organizations will do much more, including:
- regrade a property to divert stormwater flow,
- redirect water away from the crawlspace,
- apply moisture barriers to protect walls,
- and address any plumbing issues that might have caused the outbreak.
Volunteers implement any combination of these jobs to ensure homeowners have a safe and secure home. When it’s all said and done, it takes two to three months to complete a rebuild.
Operating in Andrew and Georgetown, in Williamsburg County, All Hands Volunteers treats homes for mold as part of their long-term recovery model. Among the challenges the organization faces is treating modular homes. Operations Director of the All Hands Volunteers, Kimberly Grisham admitted the group had little prior experience working with modular homes, and because they lack a foundation, mold spores exploded in the crawlspaces and spread quickly throughout the homes.
