Paul Cochrane | Storm Surge, Property Damage & Potential Indoor Environmental Quality Issues @IAQMarketer | Uploaded September 2017 | Updated October 2024, 4 hours ago.
According to the National Hurricane Center, along the coast, storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane. Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides.
This rise in water level can cause extreme flooding in coastal areas particularly when storm surge coincides with normal high tide. Depending on circumstances, storm surge can span hundreds of miles of coastline and travel miles inland.
Storm surge can wipe up entire homes and buildings or leave behind varying degrees of damage. For those properties that can be repaired, it’s important to recognize that they could contain materials that present exposure risks to workers tasked with cleanup, demolition, repair and rebuilding activities, and even for future building occupants.
For example, storm surge that enters a building can bring not only water, but also anything it has come into contact with. This could include sewage, chemicals, fuel and other potentially hazardous substances.
Water damage and excessive humidity resulting from storm surge can allow mold to begin to grow in a short period of time on many building materials, furnishings and personal belongings. Improperly removing moldy materials can cause the mold spores to become aerosolized and spread throughout a property.
Asbestos-containing materials and lead-based paints are also still present in many homes and buildings. When removing debris or repairing a property, asbestos fibers and lead dusts can become aerosolized and create a serious hazard if the proper safety precautions have not been put in place.
These are just a few things to know about how properties damaged by storm surge could also present indoor environmental quality issues. To learn more about this or other property damage, building science, indoor air quality, environmental, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
According to the National Hurricane Center, along the coast, storm surge is often the greatest threat to life and property from a hurricane. Storm surge is an abnormal rise of water generated by a storm, over and above the predicted astronomical tides.
This rise in water level can cause extreme flooding in coastal areas particularly when storm surge coincides with normal high tide. Depending on circumstances, storm surge can span hundreds of miles of coastline and travel miles inland.
Storm surge can wipe up entire homes and buildings or leave behind varying degrees of damage. For those properties that can be repaired, it’s important to recognize that they could contain materials that present exposure risks to workers tasked with cleanup, demolition, repair and rebuilding activities, and even for future building occupants.
For example, storm surge that enters a building can bring not only water, but also anything it has come into contact with. This could include sewage, chemicals, fuel and other potentially hazardous substances.
Water damage and excessive humidity resulting from storm surge can allow mold to begin to grow in a short period of time on many building materials, furnishings and personal belongings. Improperly removing moldy materials can cause the mold spores to become aerosolized and spread throughout a property.
Asbestos-containing materials and lead-based paints are also still present in many homes and buildings. When removing debris or repairing a property, asbestos fibers and lead dusts can become aerosolized and create a serious hazard if the proper safety precautions have not been put in place.
These are just a few things to know about how properties damaged by storm surge could also present indoor environmental quality issues. To learn more about this or other property damage, building science, indoor air quality, environmental, health or safety issues, please visit the websites shown below.
Clark Seif Clark csceng.com
EMSL Analytical, Inc. emsl.com
LA Testing latesting.com
Zimmetry Environmental zimmetry.com
