Storm season in the Big Bend runs from June to November, and the damage in most years is water rather than wind: rain driven under doors and through window frames, roof shingles lost in a squall, and the slow rise of water in the low streets near Lake Jackson, Lake Munson and out in Woodville and Wakulla County. Hurricane Michael in 2018 is the one people remember, but the smaller systems since have wet more houses in total, because they come more often and the water sits.
Water that sits is the problem. In this climate, wet drywall, carpet pad and insulation start growing mold in about two days, and by the second week it is inside the wall cavities where nobody sees it. Everything below is about using the first week.
First two days
- Photograph every wet room, floor and wall before you move anything; the photos are the claim.
- Get standing water out with whatever you have: wet vacuum, mop, towels, squeegee to the door.
- Pull up wet carpet and pad, and pull off baseboards along wet walls so the drywall can breathe.
- Cut power to outlets that got wet until an electrician has looked.
- Open the house if the outside air is drier than the inside; run the AC on cool with the fan on auto, not on, so it dehumidifies.
- Call the carrier the same day; the drying is easier to claim than the remediation later.
Days three to seven
This is when a drying crew earns its price. Dehumidifiers and air movers run around the clock, and the crew reads moisture in the framing every day until it hits a dry standard. If the readings are not falling, the bottom of the wall comes open so air can reach the cavity. A house that reaches dry by the end of the first week usually needs a rebuild and no remediation; a house that is still reading wet at day ten will have growth by the time the drying finishes, and the job changes.
When it has already become a mold job
A musty smell that has replaced the wet smell, dark speckling along the bottom of walls or on the back of baseboards, and drywall that stays soft after the surface looks dry are the signs. At that point the drying continues but the affected material comes out under containment, and an assessor's protocol is worth the fee because the insurance claim will turn on what was removed and why.
Insurance
Storm intrusion is the kind of sudden loss most Florida policies cover, subject to the deductible, and the drying that follows is normally inside the claim. Mold that develops later is subject to the mold cap, commonly $10,000, and to the argument that it could have been prevented by drying sooner. Daily readings and dated photos from the drying crew close that argument.
Before the next one
Have the roof looked at every spring, keep the AC condensate line clear, and know which doors take water. A dehumidifier in a crawl-space house does more for mold than anything else on this list. And keep the crew's number where you can find it when the power is out.
Useful links
- EPA: a brief guide to mold, moisture and your home – what to remove, what to clean, when to call a professional
- Florida Department of Health: mold – state health guidance on mold in homes
Questions on this
Should I run the air conditioner after storm water comes in?
Yes, if it is safe and the unit did not get wet. Set it to cool with the fan on auto so it cycles and pulls moisture out; a fan set to on circulates humid air without removing water. Add box fans on the wet areas and a dehumidifier if you have one.
Do I have to remove wet drywall or can it dry in place?
Drywall that was wet for less than a day or two and reads dry within a few days can often stay. Drywall that was under standing water, that has wet insulation behind it, or that still reads wet after several days of drying comes out, because the paper face and the cavity behind it are where mold grows.