We all know how often courthouses have mold problems and how Hurricane Katrina flooding has caused mold. So when you combine both factors, I am very worried for the staff of the Bernard Parish Courthouse in Louisiana.
The courthouse was flooded during the hurricane so badly that beached boats are still surrounding the building! In August of 2005, the courthouse was found to be flooded with 3 feet of water for weeks. So what was done about this mess? The water was dried and everyone went back to work in September. No professional mold removal was done.
The more water and time given, the more powerful and deadly types of mold will result. So with 3 feet of water sitting stagnant in this courthouse for weeks on end, I imagine the mold there is so bad it is ready to fly off the walls and strangle anyone who enters this building. Surely, more than a few courthouse workers developed the ‘katrina cough’ at the very least.
They must be hardy people in Louisiana because only now have contract workers discovered mold in the building. Big surprise, right? I would have condemned the building back in 2005, but the old courthouse holds historical significance and has been a fixture since the Great Depression.
A report was done on the mold conditions of the building and stachybotrys was found. The report states that this mold produces dangerous toxins that “some doctors believe can be traced to lung infections.” That’s putting it very mildly. What I’ve learned is that other molds are more clearly responsible for pathogenic lung infections while stachybotrys is more associated with permanent brain damage.
Either way, it does not sound like people here are very concerned about mold. Only now are they planning to evacuate the building while FEMA spends $367,000 on courthouse repairs, overhauling the electrical, plumbing and ventilation systems. That should fix the leaks, but I hope they set aside some of that money for mold removal.
Email This Post
Print This Post
You must log in to post a comment.