Healthy Rebuilding Demonstration Project in New Orleans

Project Funders: Enterprise Community Partners, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Home Depot Foundation

Project Partners: Enterprise Community Partners, Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans, Community Development Fund, Columbia University, and Tulane University

Project Contact: Jonathan Wilson, jwilson@nchh.org, 443.539.4162

Project Description: This demonstration project  provided critical information about the cost of and best approaches for decontaminating homes that were damaged by flooding from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The project team selected three homes, owned by low- or moderate-income families, that experienced between two to six feet of water above the first floor. NCHH supervised the health aspects of the program, including before-and-after environmental testing, worker protection issues, and documentation of the costs and procedures. A committee of healthy housing experts and scientists provided advice regarding the demolition, decontamination, and worker protection approaches to be used by the project team. Following the completion of the demonstration, the project team published a "how-to" guide (Creating a Healthy Home:  A Field Guide for Clean-up of Flooded Homes) and a video (Mold Clean-up Guidance for New Orleans Area Residents Affected by Hurrican Katrina) for contractors, community-based housing organizations, homeowners, and tradespeople who are involved in the cleanup and rebuilding efforts.

Resources

Creating a Healthy Home - A Field Guide for Clean-up of Flooded Homes [PDF]
Healthy Rebuilding in New Orleans [PDF]
Case Study ― Gentilly Neighborhood in New Orleans

Hurricane Recovery Factsheets
Flooding [PDF]
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning [PDF]
Pest Infestations [PDF]
Damaged Lead-Based Paint [PDF]

American Red Cross Brochures
Mold Clean-up Brochure [PDF]
Picking up the Pieces After a Disaster - Important Steps for Your Safe and Speedy Recovery [PDF]
Repairing Your Flooded Home - English [PDF]
Repairing Your Flooded Home - Spanish [PDF]

Links to Other Information Sources
Managing Hurricane Recovery for Healthy and Affordable Communities: A Guide for Organizations, Agencies, and Policy Makers [PDF]
CDC Hurricane Health and Safety [PDF]
EPA Tips on Returning Home After a Hurricane [PDF]
NIEHS Response to Hurricane Katrina [PDF]
OMB Watch Supplemental Information on Toxic Chemicals in the New Orleans Area [PDF]
Avoiding Fraud in Home, Business Flood Repairs [PDF]
Repairing Your Flooded Home [PDF]

Mold Clean-up Guidance DVD
This DVD is the first known audiovisual instructional tool produced to train volunteers, small contractors, and individual homeowners about cleaning up flooded homes in communities affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Ray Lopez of LSA Family Health Service, Inc., narrates the DVD, which was developed with substantial technical involvement from Bill Sothern of Microelogies, Inc., NCHH, and its team of technical advisors. Funding was provided for the development and production of the video from an Arnold P. Gold Foundation grant through Columbia University, a HUD Healthy Homes grant to the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to Enterprise Community Partners. This video may be played on your computer using the following formats: Windows Media Video files (.wmv) and QuickTime files (.mov). If you have a dial-up connection, it is not recommended downloading these files. The video may be downloaded in its entirety (for faster computers) or downloaded one chapter at a time.

Complete Video - .wmv files [Windows Media Video Player - 74 MG]
Mold Clean-up Guidance for New Orleans Residents Affected by Hurricane Katrina 

Separate Chapters
Introduction 
Personal Protective Equipment 
Removing Possessions
Who Should Perform the Cleanup?
Thoroughly Cleaning Up
Advice for Dealing with Contractors
Rebuilding
Health and Safety Advisories

Complete Video - .mov files [QuickTime - 86 MG]
Mold Clean-up Guidance for New Orleans Residents Affected by Hurricane Katrina

Separate Chapters
Introduction
Personal Protective Equipment
Removing Possessions
Who Should Perform the Cleanup?
Thoroughly Cleaning Up
Advice for Dealing with Contractors
Rebuilding
Health and Safety Advisories

 

 

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