The number of homes sustaining major or minor damage due to the flooding now stands at 27.
The Red Cross has surveyed the area from Kahaluu to Waiahole.

Surveyors say they found four homes with major damage and 23 homes with minor damage.

Another 84 homes suffered minimal damage, either to the home's structure or its yard. All together, 111 homes were affected.

The Red Cross says it will send family service outreach teams to help with financial assistance.

Some of the damage will get worse with time. Mold can move in quickly after things get soaked.

This past weekend, homeowners were ripping out wet carpet and staring at warped walls. It's critical to attack mold quickly.

Even in dry neighborhoods, some people worry about mold.

"Particularly here in Hawaii, mold is very common and somewhat normal," says Jason Princenthal, Aircare president.
So normal that we sometimes forget to check and clean those hidden places, like inside air conditioning ducts.

When things get really wet, however, you can't put off the cleanup.

"Time is of the essence. It's almost like a time bomb when our homes become wet or flooded," says Princenthal.
Everything that's porous is prone.

When we have water that enters our homes, be it through floods or plumbing or leaks, it wets materials in our homes that are really mold food.

After water's accumulated, you've got maybe 72 hours, max, before unwelcome mold begins to grow.
"The most important thing is to get the water out," says Princenthal.

It seems obvious when things have been saturated, and most of us know a strong bleach is required to kill surface mold.

But, short of a disaster, preventing a mold outbreak in the first place doesn't have to be complicated.

"What I normally tell our clients is if you're aggressive to reduce dust, they automatically reduce mold because the mold usually attaches to that dust, and that's usually where it grows," says Princenthal. "If we keep our homes clean, dry and well ventilated, in theory, we shouldn't have a mold problem."

It's important not to over-react to mold, but if you need professional help, pick an experienced company.
 

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Pure Air Control Services, Inc.

1-800-422-7873