Mold, City Seeking Info from Flood-Impacted Businesses and Flooding Update (8-29-2018)

I'm crossing my fingers that this is the last flooding update for a while. We're not out of the woods completely yet, but things are getting better for our area.

Here's an update from the Mayor's Press Conference today:

City of Madison Flooding Update - Wednesday, August 29, 2018 – 2:00 pm

We are incredibly fortunate that, although we had a severe weather forecast for our area last night, the majority of the rain went to the north and south of Madison. That meant that although there were some minor lane closures on the isthmus, there were no major traffic disruptions.

Lake Levels

Lake Mendota rose one inch during the night, as did Lake Monona, which is again at its historic high level.

Dane County manages the dam, and staff there are doing an incredible job.

• Discharge at the Tenney Dam into the Yahara River through the isthmus will continue today. Residents and motorists should expect another episode with rising water.
• Don't panic, nothing is wrong with the dam.
• Given the consistent rain that we have had, this is expected to be an extended event.

Road & Bike Path Closures

• We will notify residents of lane and street closures as soon as they occur. [via cityofmadison.com/flooding]
• East Johnson Street remains closed between North Baldwin Street and Fordem Avenue.

Please continue to prepare

• The city has sandbags filled and ready at 14 different locations throughout the city. We have had volunteers from the National Guard and local inmates assisting in the bagging along with City staff and hundreds of volunteers.
• Stay out of flood water, it's not safe.

Events

City staff are working with organizers of events this coming holiday weekend, including the University's first home football game. UW officials have a website they are promoting with traffic issues and have reached out to all ticket holders. Taste of Madison is also planned for this weekend and traffic and parking contingencies are being formulated.

Stay Informed

You can get full flood updates at cityofmadison.com/flooding. Thank you for utilizing this site. Area residents and visitors are better informed because of it. We have had over 323,000 webpage views on the site since it was developed for this storm event. At one point last week, we had over 600 visitors to the City flood-related webpages at one time. These sites are being utilized!

Public Health Madison & Dane County has released the following helpful information:

Household Mold a Common Problem after Flooding

As Dane County continues to recover from the recent flooding, residents should be aware of the dangers of mold growth. If your home experienced moisture or water damage during the floods, it is at risk for mold growth. Proper clean up reduces the health risks associated with exposure.

After a flood event, mold grows well on paper products, cardboard, ceiling tiles, and wood products. It can also grow in dust, paints, wallpaper, insulation, drywall, carpet, fabric, and upholstery. Mold can look fuzzy or discolored, or can be in slimy patches. It also frequently causes a musty smell.

Not only can mold damage your home, it can cause health problems for people too. Exposure to mold can cause a variety of health effects including asthma attacks and other respiratory illnesses, eye and skin irritation, and allergic reactions. It can also lead to severe infections in people with weakened immune systems. 

"Mold may not necessarily be visible, but that shouldn't mean you shouldn't take the proper precautions and clean areas that have been exposed to flood waters," says John Hausbeck, Environmental Health Supervisor with Public Health Madison & Dane County. Hausbeck encourages those affected by the floods to take the necessary precautions when preventing and cleaning mold growth.

To prevent mold from growing, cleaning up and drying out your home thoroughly and quickly, within 24-48 hours, after a flood is best. This can be done by removing standing water and wet materials from the home, open all doors and windows, and use fans and dehumidifiers to remove the moisture. Do not use fans if mold has already started to grow, as this could spread the mold to other areas of the home. Carpet and upholstery that has been saturated and cannot be dried promptly should be removed and replaced.

If you suspect mold growth, there are ways to stop the growth and eliminate it. According to the Department of Health Services (DHS):

If you have visible mold growth

• Wash mold contaminated surfaces with soap and water
• Mix 1 cup of household bleach with 1 gallon of water
• Wipe down cleaned surfaces with the bleach mixture
• Rinse with clean water and allow to air dry

If you do not have visible mold growth

• Mix 1 cup of household bleach with 5 gallons of water
• Wash surfaces with bleach mixture
• Rinse with clean water and allow to dry

Residents should be cautious when using bleach to clean up mold, and are advised to use masks, goggles, and gloves. Never mix products containing ammonia or acids with bleach.

Elimination of wet, flood-damaged building materials, furnishings, and personal items may be required to prevent mold problems.

After mold clean up, if you or your family members have health problems that get worse, mold may still be an issue.  If ongoing mold problems occur, the home should be evaluated by a licensed home repair professional.  

I also wanted to pass along this news release from the City:

City Seeking Information from Flood-Impacted Businesses

As Madison continues to deal with the ongoing flooding situation, the City is seeking information from Madison businesses to begin identifying and documenting how the flooding has affected the business community.  This includes not only direct impacts due to property damage, but also indirect impacts such as lost income due to unplanned business closures, loss of street access, unavailable parking areas, etc.

The City is encouraging any business owners who have been affected by the flooding to complete a brief online survey  to provide initial information.  The survey will remain posted for several weeks to give businesses the chance to complete it once the flooding has subsided. 

At this point, the City is gathering any available initial information about the impacts of the flooding on our City's businesses in case this information is helpful in the weeks and months ahead. In addition to the survey, business owners are encouraged to keep any records that can document how the flooding has affected their bottom lines.  

The Survey can be found here:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2GCKPRT 

If there is anything I can do to help, feel free to reach out: district19@cityofmadison.com

-Keith F