Post-Flood Mold Removal in Splendora, TX

Local conditions

Splendora is a small Montgomery County city of about 1,700 people, roughly 35 miles from Houston, that grew around a railroad spur; most residents live in rural areas. The East Fork of the San Jacinto River runs nearby. During Harvey, its floodwaters swamped mobile homes along East River Road just outside Splendora on the Liberty County side, knocking some off their foundations, and one resident said the water rose about four feet in an hour. When water arrives that fast, there is no time to move belongings, and the house sits wet for days afterward in humid air.

Inside city limits, the City of Splendora Building Department issues permits from City Hall after plan approval, and third-party inspectors from Bureau Veritas handle building inspections under the 2012 International Residential Code.

Clean and keep, or remove and replace

EPA says porous materials may have to be thrown away once moldy and not to paint or caulk over growth. The consultant's protocol makes the final call for each room.

Signs to watch for

• A sour, musty smell after the floors look dry
• Spotting at the base of walls and on the backs of furniture
• Soft or sagging floors, especially in raised or manufactured homes
• Growth on ceiling registers once the AC is restarted

Timing

EPA's disaster guidance says that a home not dried within 24 to 48 hours should be assumed to have mold. Late summer and early fall, when tropical systems are most likely, are also the hottest, most humid weeks of the year, so growth moves quickly. After a regional flood, companies get busy; getting on a list early, drying in the meantime and keeping photos helps. Projects of 25 contiguous square feet or more also need a five-day TDLR notice before work starts.