The Rivas family, which has lived in the house in eastern Oceanside for more than 20 years, had help from their homeowners insurance company a couple of times. Mary Rivas said they sent contractors out when they found water in the walls from an old remodeling project. The insurance people set up blowers to get the walls dry. But that was four years ago, and her last call for help got her the response that her policy only covers fire damage. It's cheaper for them than being sued.
Molds are everywhere, indoors and outdoors.
But having large amounts of mold growing indoors can mean that the mold is releasing its spores into the air. Many people have allergic reactions to breathing mold, including irritated sinuses, runny nose, itchy eyes, skin rashes, coughing and secondary infections. Some people are more vulnerable than others, including infants, people with weakened immune systems and people with heart and lung disease. And some are more sensitive to mold spores than others. Experts, including Baxter, say that mold needs water to grow, so the first step of cleanup is finding the source of the water and stopping it.