FEMA Finds Mold in Temporary Housing

Hawkeye Electric electricians Todd Reves (left) of Cedar Rapids and Nick Volk of Fairfax upgrade an electrical pedestal next to one of the four FEMA trailers for the flood victims at Squaw Creek Village in Marion on Wednesday, July 2, 2008. (Courtney Sargent/The Gazette)

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FEMA Finds Mold in Temporary Housing

By: Nick Weig, Producer

By Nick Weig

CEDAR RAPIDS - FEMA says they have discovered mold in some of the mobile home units now in use as temporary housing for flood victims.
Federal officials say the mold was found on the water heater compartment of some units. They do not believe the mold has migrated to the living area of the units.
As a precaution, specialists are being brought in to kill the mold.
People living in the affected units are being offered alternative housing until the problem is fixed.
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Tuesday, Jul 22 at 1:42 PM Tina F. wrote ...

We did not make bad choices nor decisions.

Tuesday, Jul 22 at 12:58 PM Anonymous wrote ...

well I am making fun of you for accepting help, Get some Pride people, stop looking for a hand out, start working for yourself, stop wasting my tax money.

Tuesday, Jul 22 at 12:45 PM trixie wrote ...

HEY FREEDOM FIGHTER!! i totally agree about standing together, weapons drawn, and getting our lives back from the gov!! unfortunately, your humor was lost on the others and they didnt take your message seriously. it is (and has been) time for us as USA citizens to question our government and get back to the democracy we once claimed to be. i have a very bad feeling that America is on its way to becoming a third-world country. our education is lacking, the economy is failing...is civil war next?

Tuesday, Jul 22 at 11:03 AM Anonymous wrote ...

oh survivors now hu... flood survivors... i am a flood victim survivor.... come on, changing the name does not change your bad choices.

Monday, Jul 21 at 5:20 PM Tina F. wrote ...

My god people, where is your compassion. They will not allow folks to clean the mold up and stay in the mobile homes. I do agree that those who are whining about the inconvenience of the situation need to stop whining. We are survivors. We aren't sitting on our arses, we aren't looking 2 b bailed out; it has only been a little over a month & u all expect us to be able to take care of all our needs on our own so soon. Honestly , I can not believe how harsh many of you are, and insulting.

Monday, Jul 21 at 3:35 PM Self sufficient wrote ...

No one is saying that you are bad for accepting help, but whining when it ends is ridiculous.Be thankful for what you received and move on.If you need to relocate to another town, then do so. But quit expecting continued hand-outs.

Monday, Jul 21 at 2:22 PM Anonymous wrote ...

waaa waaa mommy i bought land that got all wet.... mommy I did something stupid.... take back my mistake waaa mommy

Monday, Jul 21 at 1:26 PM flood victom cont wrote ...

you have to take it. Now they are going to take it away. I would clean the mold if they would let me. I would build again if I had the money. So "Sick of the Whinning" what is your address I will move in with you and see how you feel having your life fliped upside down. FYI I have worked for 20 years payed taxes and never asked for help from anyone, I have donated time and money to the less fortanite and now I need a little help and I am a bad person what would you recommend doing?

Monday, Jul 21 at 1:25 PM flood victim wrote ...

I am not winning I just am looking for some way to support my family. I can not afford a place to rent because still responsible for mortgage and cost to fix my house. All the landlords have increased rent. How would you feel if you just heard on the news that you have to move. You try to find a place to rent but none will take you, Shelters are closed and there is no where to go. Then you are given a chance to regain a normal life and a chance to have a roof over your head cont////

Monday, Jul 21 at 12:09 PM Sick of the Whinning wrote ...

The problem here is that many of you sit on your arse and hope for the Gov. to bail you out. If you lived in China or another country,you'd be on your own. Get off your arse and do something!!Stop your constant complaining. God helps those that help themselves!! Stand up for yourselves; why rely on our government and my tax dollars to bail your arses out?? This is a free country, you can live where you choose...move to higher ground!

Monday, Jul 21 at 12:02 PM edd wrote ...

Don't trust the government period.

Monday, Jul 21 at 12:00 PM Take care wrote ...

These units are only meant to be temporary housing anyway, so the residents should have already been looking to move. I feel very sorry for the flood victims, but never count on someone else taking care of you. Much compassion, but it is time to step up and do it yourself. I know it won't be easy, but there are a lot of things in life that aren't easy!

Monday, Jul 21 at 11:28 AM tony wrote ...

A great procduct on the market is mighty micros for cleaning mold and musty odors. This product was OSHA and university tested. You can find the results on www.mold-help.org. This is an all natural cleaner. It cleans mold without re-growth. Eliminates musty odors. www.mightymicros.com

Monday, Jul 21 at 10:39 AM i love ponies wrote ...

so if fema was to say we will buy you a pony will i end up getting a fish

Monday, Jul 21 at 10:22 AM Flood Survivor wrote ...

You people make me sick! "take care of yourselves" "don't expect the government to take care of you". Ignorance is bliss because you people who sit there and bad mouth all of the flood survivors obviously have no idea what its been like for us. we were one of the few who managed to find an apt to rent, but these poor people now have to uproot their families and move again!

Monday, Jul 21 at 1:59 AM Anonymous wrote ...

Don't you understand this is all part of God's Plan!

Sunday, Jul 20 at 11:45 PM Re: Panic Button wrote ...

A little spot of mold does nothing. When it turns into a large spot of mold it shows there is a problem with moisture. Mold cannot live without a water sourse. Some of the photos I have seen indicate a problem. How about we stick you and your family in a home full of mold and see how healthy you stay. Talk to one of the many who have gotten sick from mold exposure and they'll have plenty to say and maybe even show you. Formaldehyde, now mold...what next? It's all dangerous in large amounts.

Sunday, Jul 20 at 6:07 PM Panic Button wrote ...

OMG, I have mold growing under the sponge I placed on my sink to catch water dripping from my dish strainer. I have to sue someone, I have to file a class action lawsuit and blame the sponge maker, the dish strainer and the apartments who gave me the apartment.

Sunday, Jul 20 at 3:09 PM Anonymous wrote ...

Hey Freedom fighter...do us all a favor and lay off the hard liquor for a while. "Goobermint" "Yaselves".....don't be ignorant!

Sunday, Jul 20 at 8:31 AM Grow Up wrote ...

Stop waiting for the goverment to TAKE CARE of you. Take care of yourself. And if you do sit and wait for the goverment to TAKE CARE of you, dont complain. Why do so many people expect someone to fix their bad home buying decision. YOU made this decision - own up to the mistakes.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 10:23 PM Teca wrote ...

El Chipperto, tell the people effected by this that it isn't that big of a deal. You applaud the government, I applaud the victims who have not gone insane by all of this!

Saturday, Jul 19 at 10:07 PM again wrote ...

the houses are not new. They are also all electric. Good luck in IAs winter. And as far as the help. The blocked the roads, bring in contracters from AL, MS, LA. very few local. Rut up the lawns as they tried to back them in. ignored the local park regualtions, I guess they work for the government and we have to bow to them. Not to mention they move the trailers up to waterloo to fix them and then we have to put up with their antics all over again. GOVERNMENT SAVE US, yea.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 9:25 PM Anonymous wrote ...

This is all part of God's plan! God had a very odd kind of humor we humans just cannot understand, sometimes it seems macabre, but let's just hope he had his fun for the day and will leave us alone for a while.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 8:19 PM Wow wrote ...

Everyone in Marengo, Iowa, should probably leave their home, bet most have mold of some kind in them with as much water as they continually get in their basements due to poor street drainage...............get real, a little mold, big deal. Lots of these people probably had mold in their basements before the flood. But let the government take control of your life and they know everything. Get some bleach and clean it up, what's the big deal.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 6:14 PM Gigi wrote ...

God is with you!

Saturday, Jul 19 at 4:04 PM El Chipperto wrote ...

Before anyone goes nuts over commenting on this story and blaming FEMA/local government/the system/George W. Bush, let me remind everyone that the presence of this mold is neither surprising nor catastrophic. There are always growing pains in a disaster of this magnitude, and given the circumstances, it would appear that this recovery is being managed well. I applaud all groups, federal, local and otherwise, volunteers included. Cedar Rapids remains a great place to live.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 2:12 PM FEMA is a joke wrote ...

FEMA = Federal Experts My A**

Saturday, Jul 19 at 12:52 PM Anonymous wrote ...

How lovely!

Saturday, Jul 19 at 12:22 PM Interested and curious wrote ...

What's a little mold...won't hurt you. Half of the houses including many rental properties have mold and no one does anything about it. Some houses have been condemned because of mold yet the owners paint over it and re-sell the home to unsuspecting buyers and it seems ok. Come on now, what's the problem here? CR Health Dept and Housing Dept...get with the program and start writing up rentals with mold problems. Until you get seriously affected/poisoned by mold, one doesn't care about it.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 11:31 AM Unreal wrote ...

It's hard to know what to say. Is this ludicrous or heartbreaking? Can these victims get any break whatsoever? What is the background of these specific trailers? I would love if KCRG could find out if these are Katrina trailers that were just Windexed and sent up here to more unsuspecting people.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 11:08 AM just wondering ? wrote ...

who pays the utlities on these FEMA housing units, I am asuming the occupant, but you know what happens when you asume something !!! Do these units have A/C ?? just wondering !!

Saturday, Jul 19 at 10:47 AM Still laughing in Palo wrote ...

I guess FEMA's bleach solution doesn't work. F.E.M.A.=J.O.K.E.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 9:46 AM shamelshipman wrote ...

Federal officials and flood victims should check out the remarkable research on toxic mold removal done by environmental expert Dr Ed Close. Simply diffusing a therapeutic-grade essential oil regularly in this building would likely result in an environment very hostile to mold. http://www.secretofthieves.com/mold.cfm/79544

Saturday, Jul 19 at 9:02 AM Daily Driver wrote ...

Even though Cedar Rapids is more pressed to maintain facilities now more than ever, it seems too many street projects have been started and 6th st sw from Tractor Supply to airport road is still nowhere near completion. Common sense says: FINISH 1 or 2 projects, then start others.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 8:10 AM Anonymous wrote ...

you have to be kidding some of these people lost everything and now they have to find some where to live again i feel for these people it is like a bad nightmare and i bet they just want to wake up

Saturday, Jul 19 at 7:46 AM Cowgirl wrote ...

What happened during the manufacturing process to allow mold? These are brand new units.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 7:43 AM deja vu wrote ...

If I recall, there were problems with the trailers provided after Katrina, too. What a shame. I am glad our taxes are doing something useful and that we can provide help for those in need but poorly built and maintained trailer having to be fixed, again with tax dollars, really angers me. Oh well, what can one do? Good luck to those families affected by the flood, and now the recent mold problem within the FEMA housing.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 7:15 AM Out of town wrote ...

This is like a really bad joke. I am so sorry for the flood victims in Cedar Rapids.

Saturday, Jul 19 at 6:51 AM Anonymous wrote ...

Big surprise

Saturday, Jul 19 at 6:01 AM FREEDOM FIGHTER wrote ...

yessireeeee, da goobermint sure knows how to take care of ya, when will people wise'n up and realize, da goobermint dudn't know whats best for people....LEARN TO TAKE CARE OF YASELVES...Ya let them hold a gun to yur head keeping ya from yur flooded moldy houses, only to herd ya into the same kinda toxic mess of their own TAKE YOUR LIVES BACK FROM THE GOVERNMENT..STAND TOGETHER AND GET YOUR WEAPONS DRAWN!!

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