Re: Flood zones fight to get back to normal; mold a danger

[Guest guest]

This last flooding was in my neck of the woods. I thank God my second floor

condo. My parents and sister are still pumping out their cellars as more water

pours in.

Janet

[Guest guest]

--no dought in my mind about

that.

- In , " tigerpaw2c "

<tigerpaw2c@...> wrote:

>

> I just posted this same article on the New Orleans forum. It was

> deleted immediately. You think the reason may be they are not

> telling the public down there the truth?

>

>

>

> Flood zones fight to get back to normal; mold a danger

>

> http://www.ecnnews.com/cgi-bin/15/etstory.pl?-sec-News+fn-fn-fn-fn-

> fn-floodupdate.mvo-20060522-fn

>

> By Mark E. Vogler

> Staff Writer

>

> One week after one of the most destructive floods this century, the

> lower Merrimack Valley is determined to get back to normal.

>

> Schools were to reopen today in Lawrence and Methuen for the first

> time in 10 days.

>

> Officials also hoped to close the emergency shelter at the Methuen

> High School field house and relocate about 80 people who still

> remained homeless as of last night.

>

> The American Red Cross of the Merrimack Valley over the weekend

> began distributing several thousand " clean-up kits " of gloves,

> brooms, hoses, buckets, rags, cleaning agents and other items to

> help clean up the damp, wet cellars that are a breeding ground for

> mold.

>

> " The hardest thing in the weeks ahead is for people to understand

> this is not going to be a quick fix — but a very challenging thing

> to deal with, " said Zincola, executive director of the area

> Red Cross office, based in Haverhill.

>

> " It's really going to take a community solution for the recovery

> effort. We've only just begun. It should be 'all hands on deck' for

> the many weeks ahead, " she said.

>

> Officials in Haverhill, Lawrence and Methuen are also counting on

> help from the federal and state emergency management and other

> agencies to provide financial assistance to business operators,

home

> owners and others.

>

> They were hoping to hear by today whether the federal government

had

> declared Massachusetts eligible for disaster relief.

>

> " The governor is confident that the state of Massachusetts will

> qualify, " said Myles Burke, Lawrence Mayor Sullivan's chief

> of staff, one of several area officials who met in a two-hour

> briefing session that Gov. Mitt Romney had yesterday with

> representatives of 27 communities affected by the flood.

>

> Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey was expected to be in Lawrence early today,

> followed by U.S. Sen. Kerry, both of whom wanted to survey the

> toll of the flooding on the city firsthand and see how they could

> bolster the city's application for assistance and other resources,

> according to Burke.

>

> Methuen Mayor Manzi said yesterday's meeting with the

> governor and representatives of the Federal Emergency Management

> Agency and other government agencies involved in the relief effort

> helped to clarify misconceptions about how much FEMA will help

> business and residential flood victims.

>

> " FEMA is not an insurance company, and that's an important concept

> for people to realize, " Manzi said last night.

>

> " The governor cited $27,000 as the maximum they can give you

whether

> you're a business or an individual, " he said.

>

> But a FEMA official attending the meeting indicated it was very

rare

> that anyone got the full $27,000, and the average was about $5,000.

>

> " Their job is to get you back in your home, but they're not a

> secondary insurer, " Manzi said.

>

> Meanwhile, the state is holding up on what kind of assistance it

> will guarantee to cities and towns, pending commitments from FEMA,

> Manzi said.

>

> " The state is not willing to unveil any package until after FEMA

> acts, " he said.

>

> " After FEMA acts, the state guarantees some action in areas where

> FEMA was deficient. After the federal declaration, which appears to

> be almost a certainty, it's a little bit complex about how FEMA

will

> help out. But we got a few more details today, " he said.

>

> Another issue confronting cities and towns is how to close their

> books on the fiscal budget year, which ends June 30th. With

complete

> damage estimates still up in the air and other flood-related costs —

> like overtime and road repairs — still undetermined, the state will

> have to make special allowances this year for the communities

> hardest hit by the floods.

>

> " We submitted a preliminary estimate of $1.3 million on municipal

> side for overtime and other costs — but that's very preliminary, "

> Manzi said.

>

> Burke estimated the flooding's toll on municipal government in

> Lawrence to be $11 million to $12 million, primarily for damage to

> roads and overtime costs.

>

> " We're looking at potential rebuilding of three bridges — the Falls

> Bridge, Hampshire Bridge and Daisy/Holly Street Bridge, " Burke said.

>

> When the lieutenant governor arrives this morning, she is expected

> to bring with her help from the Massachusetts Highway Department to

> aid in the cleanup of Lawrence streets: a fleet of front end

> loaders, dump truck and drivers, Burke said.

>

> A team of 20 volunteers from the Trauma Intervention Program of the

> Merrimack Valley has adopted a new role to add to his customary

> tasks of providing blankets, teddy bears, quilts, information and

> counseling services to Merrimack Valley flood victims.

>

> Besides working with the local first responders and municipal

> employees in assisting people traumatized by the floods, the group

> is also helping to circulate literature prepared by the federal

> government on how to respond to mold problems, according to TIP's

> executive director Jayan Landry Conlin.

>

> " As most of the residents have power restored, we are beginning to

> see evidence of black mold exposure, which is a health concern, "

> Conlin said.

>

> " We're seeing a lot of the symptoms: the head aches, the watery

> eyes, people having difficulty concentrating, runny noses, aches

and

> pains and eye irritation. We're particularly concerned about

> respiratory problems with children who suffer from asthma, " she

said.

>

> Burke estimated that about 1,200 homes and 300 businesses were

> affected one way or another by the flooding in Lawrence, and most

> could be facing mold problems.

>

> " We have a community with high incidence rate of asthma, lead paint

> and lung issues. So, we need to make sure our people are kept well-

> informed about potential problems of mold, " Burke said.

>