After hurricanes, mold is nothing to sneeze at

The smell is what Joan W. Bennett will never forget from when she could finally return to her New Orleans home, five weeks after Hurricane Katrina forced her to flee in August 2005. 

“It didn’t really smell moldy, it just smelled horrible,” remembers Bennett, who was then a microbiology professor at Tulane University. “It’s like the difference between being right up close to a skunk or just smelling a little bit of skunk. If the skunk gets your dog and squirts, it’s nauseating. It’s just this overwhelming odor. It doesn’t really smell like skunk anymore. It just smells disgusting and horrible.”

Being a fungal geneticist, Bennett came home armed with more than just cleaning supplies. She also brought her Petri dishes and sampling equipment, ready to study the fungi that had taken up residence in her home. She wore a mask while sampling but still felt unhealthy when inside her house, and she wondered if the lingering smell was an indicator of a bigger problem. 

Those funky, musty smells that accompany moldy material are due to the offgassing of volatile organic compounds — chemicals that turn into gas at room temperature. They are the reason mold can often be smelled before it can be seen. 

In the end, Bennett’s house had to be gutted and refinished, in large part because of the widespread mold damage. She wrote about her ordeal in a 2015 article in a scientific journal. 

Mold can be a problem anywhere there is moisture, but it’s an especially huge risk after big storms like Hurricane Katrina — and, more recently, Hurricanes Helene and Milton — because they bring widespread flooding from sustained rain or storm surges, Bennett says. 

Flood waters bring a host of immediate risks, from the spread of gastrointestinal disease to exposure to toxic chemicals, but once the water recedes, mold is the principal menace. 

Here’s what you should know: 

What is mold, anyway?

Mold is a very general term that encompasses thousands of species in the fungi kingdom, each with its own characteristics. The one thing that unites them is their need for a moist environment to grow and thrive. 

Mold spores are like seeds floating around us in the air, waiting for the right spot to grow. When they sense the presence of moisture, they germinate by secreting enzymes and growing long, skinny filaments called hyphae, explains Bennett, now at Rutgers University.

Why are flooded homes such easy targets? 

Hurricane-damaged homes present all sorts of opportunities for mold, which can grow on almost anything that can soak up water. Books, rugs, furniture, food, insulation — they’re all fair game. 

Softer materials are easier targets than hard surfaces like tile, glass and ceramics because molds get their energy by digesting organic matter. In that way, they are different from plants, which rely on photosynthesis from sunlight. Molds, in contrast, thrive in dark places, getting their energy by releasing digestive enzymes that break down long polymers into smaller, digestible pieces.

How do I know if my home has a mold problem? 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency advises people to check for signs of mold if materials stay wet for more than 24 hours. The first sign might be a musty smell, Bennett says, since molds release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as they consume organic material and start to grow. 

If, in the wake of any flood or water leak, you notice either visible mold or a moldy smell, it’s time to investigate further, experts say. The key to controlling mold is controlling moisture, so the first step is to identify the source of the water and fix it, if possible, according to the EPA.

Why is mold something I should worry about?

The health effects of mold VOCs still aren’t well understood, Bennett says. There is good evidence that VOCs, including those that come from paint or certain cleaners, as well as molds, can irritate people’s eyes, nose and throat and can cause difficulty breathing, according to the American Lung Association. 

Other health risks of mold exposure are better understood. They include sneezing, rashes, dizziness, headaches and asthma attacks. The risk of illness is higher for people with weakened immune systems. 

In the weeks after major storms, health systems often see more patients presenting with respiratory illnesses, says Amber Hardeman, an allergy/immunology fellow at Tulane University School of Medicine.

“Some people will even be hospitalized,” Hardeman says, “which is why we recommend that patients who already knowingly have asthma or high mold sensitization are actually removed from the environment of mold.”

Many people with asthma, allergies or other respiratory conditions are hypersensitive to mold, which leads to a reaction when they are exposed. People who aren’t hypersensitive can still have irritation-type reactions, which often show up as sneezing and itchy eyes, Hardeman says. 

Overall, the post-mold illnesses hit children and older people the most, Hardeman says, because of changes to their immune systems. She adds that it’s often patients who live in underserved environments who are hit the hardest, for many reasons, including issues accessing medications and a lack of cleanup resources. 

“Inevitably, more hurricanes will happen,” Hardeman says. “It ultimately is very important for people who know they have asthma to make sure that they have up-to-date inhalers, both their controller and rescue inhalers, and for people who get allergy immunotherapy to make sure that they’re attending those appointments.” 

So how can I get rid of mold?

Once mold gets a hold in a soft material, it is extremely hard to fully remove. Often the only option is to throw the moldy object away. 

If you’re determined to try to get rid of mold without throwing away the material, you can either hire an experienced mold-removal professional or try to do it yourself. For DIYers, one of the most important things to keep in mind while removing mold is doing it safely.

“It’s highly recommended that people who do participate in any sort of mold remediation wear specifically N95 mask, because it will protect you not only from the mold, but from the particulate matter and volatile organic compounds, which can be almost more dangerous than the mold itself, and then also gloves and goggles,” Hardeman says. 

The EPA also recommends wearing long pants, long sleeves and boots or work shoes. You should also open windows and doors to increase airflow, as well as turn on fans and dehumidifiers if it’s safe to use the electricity. People who have underlying respiratory health conditions or mold sensitivity should avoid participating in clean up at all, Hardeman says. 

If you are doing your mold removal by yourself, start by removing visible dirt or mold from hard surfaces with a damp cloth and a mild detergent. It is important to not use bleach when cleaning up mold — bleach releases toxins that make people sick too, Hardeman says. 

For softer materials, do your best to dry them out quickly. If you can’t fully clean and dry something, it may have to be thrown away. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends throwing away anything that can’t be cleaned and dried within 48 hours. 

For more widespread damage, calling in a professional mold remediation service will likely be necessary. 

These services can be expensive — with average costs ranging from more than $1,000 to almost $3,500 according to Architectural Digest. 

How can I get government help for mold removal after a disaster?

It is possible to apply for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, though the application process can be confusing and not always address people’s needs, says Amanda Reinke, who studies disaster relief at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. 

“Bureaucracy is imagined as a monolithic thing that works in all times and all places. It’s designed to be standard fare, no matter where you are,” Reinke says. “But that’s not true. Disasters affect different places differently.”

Before paying, FEMA sends out an investigator to assess the damage. “It’s really unclear if and how FEMA incorporates mold into their actual inspections of property,” Reinke says. FEMA plans to revise training and inspection procedures to take into consideration mold damage, Reinke says, but it’s unclear how that will play out.

FEMA funds and insurance claims can help alleviate the financial burden of recovery for many, but they are not always easy to access nor available to all, Reinke says. 

Anything else I should know?

The time after a major storm or flood can be taxing, for many reasons, Bennett says. Beyond the financial and physical damages these disasters inflict, they leave emotional pain, too. It’s important to recognize all aspects of the damage, she says.  

“I was lucky in that I lived in a two-story house, and so it happened that all of my picture albums were on the second floor. That was just sheer luck,” Bennett says about her Hurricane Katrina experience. “I know people who’ve lost every baby picture, all the pictures of their parents and things like that, and almost everyone I know has been through this kind of post-storm experience.”