July Floods in Chicago Leave Property Owners Battling Mold

As FEMA inspects water damaged homes in the greater Chicago area the building science experts at EC2 are busy helping area residents test for microbial and chemical contaminants to begin rebuilding their homes.

Yesterday the Chicago Tribune reported that Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials were inspecting flood damaged homes in Westchester, Elmhurst and Cicero. The homes were all damaged by the torrential rainfall that occurred on July 23rd and 24th. Additional communities in Cook and DuPage counties will also be visited shortly by FEMA officials.

FEMA officials will be determining if the damaged homes will be receiving federal financial aid to rebuild. As the flood waters receded over the last two weeks property owners across Northern Illinois ventured back into their homes and businesses to discover water damaged properties and destroyed belongings.

Damaged buildings not only have to deal with water damage issues, but also environmental concerns ranging from mold growth, sewage contamination and chemical contaminants from the flood waters. To ensure a safe environment many of these flooded properties will need environmental testing to determine if mold, bacteria, viruses and chemical contaminants are now present.

Mold can begin to grow in as short as 24 hours so many of these buildings have extensive microbial growth problems that cause indoor air quality (IAQ) problems for both the building inhabitants and reconstruction professionals. Fortunately many of the water damaged properties can be saved with proper and extensive dry out and mold remediation measures.

The environmental professionals at EC2, Inc. (ec2) have been busy responding to calls from property owners and tenants to determine if their properties are safe to inhabit. “At ec2 we provide not only IAQ investigations, but also offer post remediation testing services to ensure any mold cleanup and removal was handled properly,” reported Ed Chambers, the President of ec2. “It’s important that these properties don’t become environmental hazards for people living in them.”

To learn more about how ec2 can help with mold and IAQ problems please visit www.4ec2inc.com, email info@4ec2inc.com, call (815) 703-9000.

About EC2, Inc.
EC2 is a leading provider of environmental consulting and inspection services for clients across the United States. Based in the Chicago area, the company provides their services to clients ranging from local companies and institutions to international Fortune 500 corporations.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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