MARCH 14, 2006 -- POSTED AT 9:00 P.M. CST

JONESBORO, AR -- A Region 8 family was kicked out of their home 5 months ago by a silent, but deadly invader. Toxic mold is to blame for the $45,000 of damage to the Hargett's home. They've called everyone they know for help, but still nothing has been done. Not to mention, the living conditions for the family have drastically changed. They were forced to move in with their in-laws, sharing one bedroom.

"It's one room that we're all four staying in and it's really cramped. Like our clothes are out in the garage, or some of them are in the attic and we're just having to do the best we can," says Tammy Hargett, Owner of Home.  

The problem, black, toxic mold. It all started will a leak in the basement. It spread faster than they could imagine and
soon the whole family was sick. All from the toxic mold that had infested their home.

The Hargett family tried to stop the growth by taking out the wall and part of the floor here in the basement, but the mold continued to grow, and will only get worse with the onset of warmer temperatures.
"If it keeps growing and it gets into the walls and into the attic, then there's no hope for the house. It will have to come down," says Hargett.

And not only is the home totally ruined, but everything inside the home is contaminated as well. The family counts this as a total loss. But where do they go from here?

"I've contacted everybody I could think of to see if we could try to get some help and nobody says they can. Mold is a natural disaster and there's nothing they can do to help us," says Hargett.

The Hargetts said they contacted their homeowner's insurance to get some financial help with this problem, but they gave them a very unexpected response. They don't cover toxic mold and there is nothing they can do to help. And you'd be surprised at the number of insurance companies that don't cover this type of damage. Something that makes you wonder just how insured you are.

A trust fund has been set up for the Hargett family at Regions Bank in Jonesboro. For donation information, contact Regions at 931-1000.
 
 
 
 

# # #

Pure Air Control Services, Inc.

1-800-422-7873