A new health danger is emerging as hundreds of San Jose residents continue to clean up damage left by last week's historic floods.
Evacuees who have returned home are finding contaminated mud and the potential for mold as the water recedes.
"The easiest part of this whole thing was ripping your house to shreds, ripping out wet wood and taking out the kitchen stuff," said Joyce Berkowitz, a San Jose flood victim. "Dealing with the mold issue is actually the worst part."
Restoration businesses hired to clean up flood damage are also finding mold issues.
On Friday, a crew pumped out about 20,000 gallons of water from a basement.
Berkowitz said cleanup costs may add up because the traditional methods of cleaning mold may not be enough in this case.
"The creek water that flooded my house and every other house was filled with biological hazardous stuff," she said. "And so my fear is that I'm breathing it."
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Public health officials caution homeowners it is crucial to clean correctly.
For more information on flood cleanup, visit:
