Texas Property Owners & Facility Managers Deal with Water Damage after Second Major Soaking of 2015

For the second time in 2015, Texas has been inundated with heavy rains and flooding. A deluge around Memorial Day caused widespread property damage and it was followed by a record breaking downpour in late October. Some parts of the state received as much as 20 inches of rain and San Antonio broke its single-day rain record.
 
While flooding directly impacted numerous properties, many more suffered varying degrees of water infiltration.  Some wet building materials and personal property can be safely dried and cleaned, but other porous materials often need to be removed and discarded. These types of materials can hold moisture for an extended period of time and mold typically only needs 48 hours or less to begin to grow.  Even high levels of humidity in a water-damaged property can trigger the growth of mold.
 
Exposure to mold can cause a wide range of health concerns for building occupants.  Mold is a known respiratory irritant, allergen, and asthma trigger.  It can also cause hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) and some types of mold associated with water-damaged buildings can even cause infections in people with a weakened or suppressed immune system.
 
“Even if there isn’t visible water damage, property owners and building managers should be on the lookout for moisture and potential mold growth that is out-of-sight,” said Hollis L. Horner, President of Indoor Environmental Consultants, Inc.  “Water damage in attics, wall cavities, and crawl spaces can result in structural damage over time and mold growth that can impact the indoor air quality throughout the building.”
 
Property managers and building owners in Texas and the Gulf Coast can turn to the building science experts at Indoor Environmental Consultants to identify, resolve, and help to prevent water damage and mold growth in their properties. In older properties that suffered damage, their professionals also help to identify asbestos-containing materials and lead-based paints that could create exposure risks for building occupants during repair, demolition, and construction activities.    
 
To learn more about IEC’s water damage, mold, and other indoor air quality (IAQ) services, please visit www.iecinc.net, email ncancino@iecinc.net or call (877) 432-8378.
 
About Indoor Environmental Consultants, Inc.
IEC began operations in 2001 with some of the nation’s most seasoned professional indoor air quality consultants who already had over 70 years of combined experience.  The indoor environmental quality firm specializes in field investigations and assessments of commercial, institutional and residential buildings.  Their services, related to fungal (mold), chemical, bacterial, asbestos and particulate pollutants, are offered throughout Texas, the Gulf Coast and the Southwest. IEC is licensed by the Texas Department of State Health Services as a mold assessment company (ACO0114) and an asbestos consultant agency (100329).
 

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail