A former school building in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, is getting a makeover.
Well…that’s after mother nature gave it a makeover of her own.
“I think this one’s my favorite. It kind of looks like a jelly-fish. They kind of look like things you would see underwater,” said Joe Lapp, owner of Servpro of Hershey/Swatara.
You don’t say…
This carpet was underwater not too long ago.
And no, we’re not talking about a classroom aquarium…just mold.
And lot’s of it.
“We’ve never seen this many calls for water or for mold,” says Lapp.
Last month’s flooding continues to wreak havoc throughout the area.
“When we came in here, it seemed like it was dry…” says Lapp.
That’s what they all say.
Lapp says flooding victims often think if a carpet or wall feels dry to the touch, they’re good to go.
But he says moisture can’t always be detected that way, and if the conditions are right, it only takes 48 hours for mold to grow.
“It got warm, it got hot, and it got humid. Those are the things that mold wants to grow,” says Lapp.
The building has been closed for months, just like several other schools in the area that have been forced to delay their openings for similar issues.
“It was a closed up building like many schools are over the summertime with no dehumidification running, that’s why we have our dehumidifiers running. And there was no air movement at all. It was just closed up, sealed tight,” says Lapp.
Much of the damage in this building is beyond repair, so they will need to pull up all the carpets and start over.
Lapp says this is extreme, but if you had flooding this summer that was not professionally checked out, it might be worth it to call a restoration company.
“Next time you take penicillin, remember what you’re seeing,” says Lapp with a laugh.
Lapp says they expect to see calls related to this summer’s flooding for the next year.
With this particular project, they will likely remain on scene until the end of next week.