After Superstorm Sandy, seniors forced to start over

Veets Pawlowicz, second from right, is aided by
 a gang of family, friends and even volunteering
 strangers as they clean up his mother-in-law Kathleen Campbell's
 house on Nov. 2, 2012, in Breezy Point.
David Friedman / NBC News file

After Superstorm Sandy, seniors forced to start over - Vitals<== (click for full article)

(Excerpt)
Campbell’s lifestyle is one of the many casualties of Superstorm Sandy, which sent floodwaters surging through homes when it hit Oct. 29, damaging more than 2,000 homes and starting a fire that burned more than 100 houses to the ground. The beachfront village, whose population plummeted from 12,000 in the summer to around 4,000 the rest of the year, provided a way of life not often seen in the sprawling suburbs of most cities. Generations of the same family jealously guarded their modest homes, and they took care of their own.

A Living, Lurking Threat in Sandy-Hit Homes: Mold

A Living, Lurking Threat in Sandy-Hit Homes: Mold - ABC News

(Excerpt)
Three months after Superstorm Sandy, mold lurks in once-waterlogged buildings, hiding below subflooring, under foundations, and in door and window frames. Sometimes it mottles walls in plain sight. And it can make dwellers sick, another blow to people still recovering from the October storm that sent the Atlantic surging into homes in New Jersey and New York.

Mold is flourishing in homes that never completely dried out, where the owners may have waited to make repairs or could not access the house for weeks because of safety concerns. Other flooded homes remain vacant and unheated.

But even some who quickly chucked saturated belongings, ripped out soggy wallboards and carpets and scrubbed walls with cleaners and bleach are still finding mold, because the home didn't fully dry, treatment did not work or unscrupulous contractors didn't actually kill it.