More than a week after Ida battered New York and New Jersey, residents are still dealing with the aftermath of the catastrophic flooding caused by the post-tropical cyclone.
That could be the case for weeks to months, experts say. Occupants of flooded homes face health and safety hazards that persist long after the waters have receded—from mold to mental health challenges. The tainted rainwater can also lay waste to a buildings’ electrical systems and structural integrity, warping wood and shifting foundations.
Some of the dangers are left behind by the water itself. Floodwaters carry bacteria, viruses and raw sewage, which can sicken people exposed to them. Several Queens residents experienced gastrointestinal symptoms such as stomach pains and diarrhea after their homes flooded, as WNYC/Gothamist reported this week. The deluge can also pick up and deposit industrial chemicals, pesticides and other nasties, explained professor Claudette Reichel, a housing specialist at Louisiana State University.
“Floodwater is contaminated,” Reichel said. “Whatever it reaches ends up in that water.”
Reichel said homeowners affected by flooding should replace any submerged outlets and look out for signs of serious water damage, like cracked or bulging walls and sagging roofs.
Any porous surface the water touches, from carpets and couches to drywall and insulation, can become a haven for mold if it’s wet for more than a day. Mold growth can trigger respiratory problems, particularly in people with allergies, asthma and other conditions that affect breathing. That includes COVID, said Jonathan Sury, project director at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University’s Earth Institute. Mold is especially unsafe for children, infants, older adults and immunocompromised people.
These lingering consequences pose a special risk to the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers inhabiting unregulated basement apartments, who made up a large portion of Ida-related deaths in New York City. The subterranean units trapped 11 people who drowned in floodwaters. According to the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, these units may lack exits and proper ventilation. This makes them harder to dry out after being submerged and especially vulnerable to mold, Sury noted.
The Department of Buildings said last week that inspectors were checking up on properties affected by the storm, but the Department of Emergency Management clarified on its website that it will only be ordering tenants out of illegal basement conversions “as a last resort.” And Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week that landlords won’t be fined this year for leasing the illegal spaces to tenants.
Along with the physical damage comes a serious emotional toll. Studies suggest that suffering losses in a storm can induce or exacerbate mental health conditions, such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. And a report by Sury’s research group found that children whose homes were damaged by Superstorm Sandy were three to four times as likely as their unaffected peers to be depressed. They were also twice as likely to experience sleep problems.
Storm-affected kids in low-income homes were also nine times as likely to struggle getting along with other kids. And parents reported three times as much depression and mental health distress if they lived in an impacted household.
“There is a link here between mental health and wellbeing and physical health and wellbeing, and damage within the home,” Sury said.
Cleaning and disinfecting flooded spaces can help keep mold and pathogens at bay, but even the recovery process itself poses dangers, experts warn. Overzealous cleaners risk producing toxic fumes if they combine cleaning products or if their basement homes lack proper ventilation. And extensive repairs can kick up lead dust and asbestos, which can then be ingested by young children, putting them at risk for lead poisoning and other health problems.
Proper personal protective equipment while cleaning up flood damage is key, the experts agreed. An N95 mask, gloves, goggles and waterproof boots can help shield against mold, dust and polluted water. And residents whose homes need extensive repairs should seek out licensed contractors familiar with safe practices around asbestos, Sury said.
Homeowners should prioritize future flood-hardiness as they make repairs, shoring up walls, choosing robust materials and raising buildings and electrical equipment up higher, says Dr. Rae Zimmerman, professor emerita at New York University.
“Elevating existing structures is an expensive proposition,” she said. “But so is the outcome of flooding like this.”
If your home was damaged by Tropical Storm Ida, click here for a list of ways you can get help.
