Cleaning And Repairing Your Storm Damaged Home

Cleaning up & Rebuilding
Your Storm Damaged Home
(updated 6/14/2013)
Hurricane recovery resources, information and referral ......................................... 1
Volunteer Help ....................................................................................................... 1
Advisory Base Flood Elevations ............................................................................. 1
Mold Awareness – Free Local Training for Homeowners ....................................... 2
Mold – General Information .................................................................................... 2
Hiring Home Contractors ........................................................................................ 3
Home Improvement Reference Center ................................................................... 3
Safety ..................................................................................................................... 4
Environmental Protection Issues ............................................................................ 5
Hurricane recovery resources, information and referral
Call 211 or go to: http://www.nj211.org/hurricane.cfm or call 1‐877-652-1148 for NJ
resources for Hurricane Sandy recovery. If you don’t know where to start or who to call, this is
where to call. Across Ocean County, the 211 service has answered thousands of calls from
residents needing help, from financial assistance and housing, to legal assistance,
transportation and connecting to volunteer organizations that will help including clean outs,
gutting, etc. No cost help in cleaning up is available for the elderly, disabled and those
needing extra help.
Volunteer Help
Ocean County AmeriCorps Response Team
•Facebook- www.facebook.com/ocacresponse
•Email- oceancountyamericorpsresponse@gmail.com
•Twitter- @OceanCoAmeriCor •Phone- 732-804-9859
•1600 Central Avenue, Ortley Beach.
HOMEOWNERS–We can provide muck out, clean up, debris removal, and general labor tasks
FREE OF CHARGE to homeowners affected by Hurricane Sandy. We can also provide
references to other relief agencies operating in the area. VOLUNTEERS–If you are interested
in volunteering with us, please contact us using the above information. We would be happy to
put you to work!
See also 211 below for another way to connect to volunteers wanting to help.
Advisory Base Flood Elevations
http://www.region2coastal.com/sandy/abfe This website has the ABFE maps and answers
questions about the new Base Flood Elevations for property in Ocean County. The maps were
released 12/15/12. The ABFE are not new official Flood Maps but are a step towards the
revision of all the flood maps for the Jersey Shore. This site includes an address lookup to
make it easy to find your home’s new ABFE. Special toolkit guides for property owners with
frequently asked questions and sources for additional information can be found here:
http://www.region2coastal.com/sandy/abfe/property_owners and for community officials here:

http://www.region2coastal.com/sandy/abfe/community_officials The State of NJ has put
together instructions on using this website and finding your address’s ABFE
http://www.nj.gov/dca/divisions/codes/alerts/pdfs/finding_coastal%20_A_zone_%20on_the_%2
0FEMA_%20maps.pdf
FEMA has announced they expect to release a new version of the flood maps county-bycounty
soon, perhaps as early as June or July 2013. Homeowners with substantial damage
have four years to become compliant with the new standards and elevations; insurance rates
won’t be calculated off the new maps until they’ve been finalized after a period of public review
and commenting.
Mold Awareness – Free Local Training for Homeowners
OCEAN COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT AND UMDNJ OFFERING MOLD AWARENESS
PROGRAMS FOR HOMEOWNERS
The Ocean County Health Department (OCHD), working with the University of
Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) will be hosting 2 seminars on mold awareness
for homeowners and residents.
June 15, 2013
9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Preferred Behavioral Health of NJ
725 Airport Rd. Suite B
Lakewood, NJ
June 18, 2013
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Congregation B'nai Israel
1488 Old Freehold Rd
Toms River, NJ 08753
Residents can register for the program at http://ophp.umdnj.edu/moldtraining
or call Leslie Terjesen at 732-341-9700, ext. 7224. You can also visit the Ocean County Health
Department’s website at www.ochd.org for other safety information related to the storm.
Mold – General Information
FEMA
Get Rid of Mold Release date: NOVEMBER 18, 2012
LINCROFT, N.J.-- Everywhere they look, survivors of Hurricane Sandy see reminders of the
destruction – fallen trees, washed out roads, smashed windows. But the most persistent
reminder may be the least visible: mold. The microscopic fungus grows wherever moisture is
present – in debris, inside walls, under floors, in attics. If not treated, mold can cause disease,
trigger allergic reactions and damage materials long after the storm.
The good news: mold, and its close relative mildew, can be controlled. Once a home is
habitable, dry it out with fans, dehumidifiers and vacuums. Remove all wet items including

carpeting, furniture, insulation, food products and bedding. Any material that has been wet
more than 48 hours should be thrown out!
Unsaturated porous material, such as drywall, ceiling tiles, furniture that contains wood byproducts
and carpeting, and non-porous items – metal, glass, wood, plastic – can be treated in
a few simple steps:
Wear gloves, a mask and eye protection. Make sure the area is well ventilated.
Wash items with non-ammonia based detergent and hot water and allow to dry.
Disinfect cleaned surfaces with a solution of a cup and a half of bleach in a gallon of hot
water. Let the solution stay on the surface at least 10 minutes.
Rinse with clear water and allow to dry.
Monitor treated materials for several days. If mold develops, discard them.
Severe mold infestations should be treated by qualified professionals. Survivors who
have flood insurance should carefully document the damage with photos, receipts and
samples from water-damaged goods.
The primary concern is health. Survivors should take precautions, because mold affects the
nervous system, causes headaches, mood changes, memory loss, respiratory problems, nasal
and sinus congestion and skin, eye, nose and throat irritation.
For more information about mold, its removal, its prevention and associated health problems,
go to the New Jersey Department of Health Mold website.
http://www.state.nj.us/health/iep/mold_links.shtml
Also go to the FEMA publication Mold & Mildew: Cleaning Up Your Flood-Damaged Home
http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=3049 and FEMA video, Eradicating Mold and
Mildew. http://www.fema.gov/medialibrary/media_records/726 and the steps outlined in
FEMA’s Mold and Mildew in your Flood Damaged Home.
http://www.fema.gov/pdf/rebuild/recover/fema_mold_brochure_english.pdf
Flood Cleanup information from the Federal EPA (including material in Spanish)
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/flood/index.html
Hiring Home Contractors
Hiring Home Improvement Contractors, a guide from the State of New Jersey – includes tips
on hiring, licensing board information and how to complain.
http://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/brief/improve.pdf
Beware of Fraudulent Home Repair Contractors tips from the State of New Jersey on what to
look for before hiring a contractor. http://www.nj.gov/lps/ca/erdos/contractors.htm
Home Improvement Reference Center
Free detailed, user-friendly “how-to” information about home improvements and repairs. HIRC
includes magazine articles and reference content as well as videos and images designed to
help homeowners tackle home repairs safely. Find step-by-step information along with
background information and basic tips on topics including electrical, plumbing, woodworking,
outdoor projects, maintenance and decorating. Provided by the New Jersey State Library. Go

to Ocean County Library’s list of databases
http://theoceancountylibrary.org/researchinfo/resources_all.htm and look for Home
Improvement Reference Center. To use this at home, you will need your library barcode
number.
Safety
The NJ Department of Health has environmental and occupation health professionals available
to answer questions related to the clean-up effort. An environmental health and safety
specialist can be reached by calling the emergency hotline at 1-866-234-0964 or by calling
2-1-1. http://www.state.nj.us/health/news/2012/approved/20121126b.html
Don’t get hurt during cleanup
Important advice from the Center for Disease Control on safety:
http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/cleanup/
Carbon Monoxide Exposure http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/carbonmonoxide.asp
Chain Saw Injury http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/chainsaws.asp
Chemical Hazards http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/chemicals.asp
Cleaning & Sanitizing with Bleach http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/bleach.asp
Debris Smoke http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/airpollution/airquality/debris_smoke.htm
Electrical Hazards http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/electrical.asp
Environmental Concerns http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/environmental.asp
Flood Recovery http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/
Food & Water Safety http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/foodwater/facts.asp
Hand Hygiene http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/sanitation.asp
Heat Exposure http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/
HVAC Systems http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/emres/Cleaning-Flood-HVAC.html
Mold http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/mold/
Pressure Washer Injury http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/pressurewasherinjury.asp
Pressure Washers Safety http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/pressurewashersafety.asp
Reentering Your Flooded Home http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/mold/reenter.asp
Respiratory Protection for Residents http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/disease/respiratory.asp
The Department of Labor and OSHA also recommend on cleaning up safely:
OSHA - Keeping Workers Safe During Hurricane Sandy Cleanup and Recovery:
http://www.osha.gov/sandy .
OSHA – Flood Response and Recovery:
http://www.osha.gov/dts/weather/flood/response.html

EPA - Hurricane Sandy Response and Recovery: http://www.epa.gov/sandy .
FEMA – Ready.gov: http://www.ready.gov/hurricanes .
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences –
http://tools.niehs.nih.gov/wetp/index.cfm?id=2472 .
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health –
http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/emres/flood.html .
U.S. Department of Labor - Hurricane Recovery Assistance:
http://www.dol.gov/opa/hurricane-recovery.htm
Environmental Protection Issues
State of NJ website for information on debris management, water quality, Reconstruction
Guidance: Land Use Regulation (CAFRA, Infrastructure, Houses, Docks, Bulkheads, Marinas,
etc.) and more. http://www.nj.gov/dep/special/hurricane-sandy/ More information on these
topics at http://www.nj.gov/dep/landuse/sandy.html
AZ/CG/MD/RJ/EJC 6/14/13