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Photo of Moldy drywall in a basement following a modest 6 inch flooding event Mold Action Guide after Flooding: How to Prevent Future Mold After a Building Leak or Flood

  • POST a QUESTION or COMMENT about the most effective measures to prevent future mold contamination in buildings that have been flooded, wet or storm-damaged

Mold prevention after building flooding:

This article in our series on removing mold in flooded buildings describes general steps to be taken after the initial mold cleanup, in order to prevent a future mold problem in a building.

If your building has been flooded, this website provides an easy to understand guide for flood damage assessment, setting priorities of action, safety, and we provide special information about avoiding or minimizing mold damage.

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GENERAL MOLD PREVENTION Advice to Consider After Building Flood Damage or Water Entry Damage has Been Repaired

Photo of Moldy drywall in a basement following a modest 6 inch flooding event

If your building is already moldy or if you suspect mold related illness in your building, we link to a step by step MOLD ACTION GUIDE dealing with toxic or allergenic indoor mold and other indoor contaminants: when and how to inspect or test for mold, when to hire an expert, how to clean up a moldy area, when and how to perform post-remediation mold testing.

FURTHER STEPS TO PREVENT MOLD Growth After Flooding in a Building

Earlier we recommended our Flood Response Checklist which lists key actions you should take after building flooding to minimize mold damage, and includes some safety warnings. Our photograph at page top shows a building after extensive demolition and cleaning of a basement and of first floor flooring. Walls and ceilings above the floor were left intact.

If your building has been flooded, this website provides an easy to understand guide for flood damage assessment, setting priorities of action, safety, and we provide special information about avoiding or minimizing mold damage.

We also list after-flood "anti-mold" procedures that do not work or are unsafe - to help you avoid unnecessary expense in dealing with mold after a building flood. If your building is already moldy or if you suspect mold related illness in your building,

we link to a step by step Mold Action Guide dealing with toxic or allergenic indoor mold and other indoor contaminants: when and how to inspect or test for mold, when to hire an expert, how to clean up a moldy area, when and how to perform post-remediation mold testing.

If your septic system has been flooded we link to an article outlining what to do about that system as well. Extensive, technically detailed in-depth articles on other mold detection, testing, and prevention methods are organized at
our Mold Information Center

Once the immediate safety and de-watering and drying steps outlined above have been addressed, here are additional steps to clean up, remove, or prevent mold growth in a building or in and on its contents.

Reader Question: building under construction soaked by Hurricane Sandy in 2012 - what to do next?

I live in central PA and I am currently building a new home. With the recent rains from hurricane Sandy, my project was at a standstill for over a week (and still is). My first floor walls and second floor "deck" (sub-floor) is installed but not under roof. I made every attempt to tarp the second floor subfloor during the rain to prevent water from leaking down below to the first floor. ....which seemed to work fairly well. I also made attempts to squeegee the water off during the rains.

I still had standing water on the sub-floor from wind driven rain. Things have started to tryout and there is no more standing water but some areas of the sub-floor and some framing has what I think would be cosmetic mold or slight staining that is a little darker than the rest. My framer had to leave my job to assist with an emergency repair related to the storm and might not be back for a week. We are not expected to have any significant rainfall in the next week or so. I have a few questions:

This house is out in the open with naturally windy conditions so there is opportunity for things to dry.

Reply: drying & cleaning suggestions for a building under construction and that was exposed to water or flooding

A competent onsite inspection by an expert usually finds additional clues that help accurately diagnose a problem that together you and I didn't realize. But that said, here are some things to consider:

Building Mold Contamination Prevention Articles



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Continue reading at MOLD RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

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Suggested citation for this web page

FLOOD-CAUSED MOLD PREVENTION at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.


Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to MOLD CONTAMINATION & REMEDIATION

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