What to know when returning to a home that flooded

Helene flooded homes in coastal areas and Milton delivered inland flooding and more suffering to the reeling Tampa Bay area.

Many homeowners survived dangerous flooding. Now they have to make sure they survive the return to homes that flooded.

“The worst part is the impact of the water in the house and how that’s affecting the drywall and the insulation in the walls,’’ says Jose Garcia, CEO of Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, a nonprofit agency that, among other services, repairs storm-damaged homes of low-income families so they can move back into them.

He says it’s likely that many flooded homes in the Tampa Bay area will have to replace all their walls to prevent dangerous mold from growing.

“It can get in your lungs and your nervous system and if you have children in the house suffering from asthma, it can get worse even with medication available,” he says.

Mold must be immediately addressed: drywall, insulation, kitchen cabinets, carpets and anything that can grow mold has to be removed. Once mold starts to grow, it spreads to other areas that were still dry after the storm, Garcia says.

“I’m almost certain that a great number of these houses will be completely gutted. It’s just the only way you’re going to be able to rebuild those houses to some degree,’’ he says.

Mold is the worst threat from a health point of view, he says. From a safety point of view, the risk of fire and electrocution is a serious threat. Before returning home, homeowners need to have an electrician thoroughly check their electrical systems and make any needed repairs. Before moving back in, homeowners may have to replace ground-level air-conditioning air handlers. Flooded appliances will have to be replaced, too, Garcia says.

Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, part of a national organization with 140 affiliates around the country, starts the recovery work once the area is safe and the water and power have been restored.

“We go in there and make sure that it is a livable house, meaning a functioning kitchen and bathroom and enough bedrooms for the family to sleep in,’’ Garcia says.

The agency rebuilds enough of the house to make sure that the residents can live there safely. For example, he says, it may be a three-bedroom house but if only three or four people live there, the agency makes sure that two bedrooms out of the three will be repaired. They’ll replace the damaged roof and secure windows to ensure that no more water comes in.

“It may be, at the end, that only 50 percent of the house would be taken care of,’’ he says. “The other 50 percent, the homeowners in time are going to have to deal with.’’

For more information on Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, go to rttb.org.