Armstead concerned about rebuild timeline for flood destroyed schools

The Herbert Hoover basketball gym sustained major damage in the July 23 flood. Chris Lawrence/WVMetroNews.com

By: Jeff Jenkins | Posted: May 24, 2018 | Source: WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — House of Delegates Speaker Tim Armstead doesn’t like the timelines the state School Building Authority has produced for the construction of two new schools to replace flood-destroyed schools in Kanawha County.

As MetroNews reported earlier this week, the SBA, working the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is projecting the new Bridge/Clendenin Elementary

Tim Armstead

Tim Armstead

School will open in time for the beginning of the 2020 school year and the new Herbert Hoover High School by the start of the 2021 school year, five years after the June 2016 flood.

MORE Read Armstead letter here

Armstead sent a letter to several officials Thursday including FEMA Region III Regional Administrator MaryAnn Tierney, state School Superintendent Steve Paine and state SBA Executive Director David Roach.

Armstead wrote, “I along with the parents of the students affected are concerned by the length of time indicated…..As you are aware, students in this area have been through a tremendous ordeal and it is essential that we provide them access to the completed classrooms as quickly as possible.”

Armstead wants the various agencies to “identify the areas where the process can be expedited.”

Lawmakers learned of the timelines during interim committee meetings earlier this week including information about a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Bat Survey on the proposed property for the new Hoover school that is one of the reasons for the projected Fall 2021 opening.

“What is of the upmost importance to us, if that is the case (bats on the property), that we timber between this November, November of 2018 and March of 2019,” Hoover Principal Mike Kelley told lawmakers.

FEMA is paying most of the cost for the new schools so there are several federal requirements that have to be met.

The Bridge-Clendenin School is estimated to cost $34 million and the new Hoover school $58 million.

Flood survivors says RISE program no help

Dana Godbey stands outside of the camper in Procious where he’s lived since the June 2016 flood. Kenny Kemp | Gazette-Mail

By: Lori Kersey, Staff Writer | Posted: May 23, 2018 | Source: WV Gazette-Mail

PROCIOUS — Some survivors of the June 2016 flood say a program meant to help them repair and rebuild their homes has been a “nightmare” to deal with and has not provided the help it promised.

(more…)

Special report: Dangerous mold could have survived from historic 2016 flooding

Brett Hodgen with Kanawha Valley Home Inspections finds black colored mold inside of an Elkview home two years after the 1000 year flood ravaged portions of West Virginia. (WCHS/WVAH)

By: Sean Delancey | Posted: May 23, 2018 | Source: WCHSTV

For many affected by the historic thousand year flood in West Virginia, it’s been hard to believe that the two year anniversary is just around the corner.

Lives were lost and homes destroyed. Everything people owned was thrown into heaps and carted off and that was just the beginning with weeks, months, and years of cleanup following the initial tragedy.

Dean Banks was one of thousands of victims when water covered his yard, flooded his basement, and then stayed there for days.

“We probably lost $65,000 to $70,000 dollars worth of stuff,” Banks said standing in his now remodeled basement.

For the next several weeks, Banks said volunteers stripped out the ceiling and drywall, took out all of the furniture and appliances, and then cleaned, bleached, and sprayed chemicals on every surface to kill mold or prevent it from developing.

“Every inch of this place was treated more than once,” Banks said laughing at the memory.

The question, two years later, could mold have survived and be thriving once again in the nooks and crannies of Bank’s home?

To answer that, Eyewitness News called in the professionals.

Brett Hodgen runs Kanawha Valley Home Inspections, and he came to Banks’ home to find out what mold could be inside and where.

“What I’m going to do first is set up an air pump,” Hodgen said while opening a black case on the back porch and pulling out a portable mold sensor.

He first took a sample of the air outside as a baseline to compare against the air inside.

Then he walked the perimeter of the home to see where water could possibly get inside.

Hodgen said the biggest exposure risks are clogged gutters or grading issues directing water toward the home’s foundation.

Once the baseline air test was completed, it was time to head inside and do it all over again.

As the little air filter collected mold samples inside the home, Hodgen’s dirty work began searching for a sample big enough to swab.

It didn’t take long.

Hodgen found a sizable mold growth hiding right where he expected to find it in the little hidden corners where air flow is low.

“It’s kind of running along this corner,” Hodgen said while searching the back room of the basement, “right through here is a little bit of black in color mold.”

Black is not the color of mold a homeowner would like to see because it could be Stachybotrys, a mold strain that can suppress a person’s immune system, cause mental health issues, or damage organs.

“It’s one I would like to identify,” Hodgen said.

Then it was time to swab it, seal it, and find out what it is.

“Send it off to the lab, and they’ll tell us what we’ve got,” Hodgen said.

The test results came back in a few work days with good news.

The air inside Banks’ home had fewer mold spored than outside showing the mold growth isn’t serious, and the swab was not Stachybotrys.

Instead, it was a more docile strain called Chaetomium only known to cause Hay Fever or asthma issues.

Hodgen said it’s still a good idea for Banks to remove the mold before it became in issue, and that’s where Bob Ritenour with Rainbow International Restoration came in.

“If you’re doing it yourself, it’s a difficult process,” Rttenour said.

He said mold removal is not as easy as wiping and bleaching visible mold.

Doing that could actually make the problem worse.

“Mold has a natural defense mechanism,” Ritenour said, “once something comes to try and kill it, it tries to take off.”

That’s why he would put plastic around the room to contain escaping spores, set up a HEPA air scrubber to pull them out of the air, use a HEPA vacuum to remove the main growth, and wear protective respirators and suits to keep the spores out of his lungs and off of his clothes.

“If you go home and pick up your grandchild, they’re going to breathe it right out of your shirt,” Ritenour said.

To keep it clean and mold free he would use a mixture of dish soap and an antimicrobial then hit it again with a pure antimicrobial to stop regrowth.

He said a bleach mixture is not always sufficient.

“In some instances the mold an go back on the bleach residue,” he said.

Keeping mold away long term is a matter of regular maintenance.

Ritenour said there are three factors to keep an eye on.

Mold would need a food source, water source, and a relative humidity above 40 percent to begin growing.

“If it doesn’t have any one of the three it won’t grow,” he said.

Keeping everything dry and using dehumidifiers has been effective in stopping mold growth in most cases.

That way, unless West Virginia gets hit with another 1,000 year flood, most homes should be relatively mold free.

Legislative leaders call for review of RISE West Virginia program

Senate President Mitch Carmichael (R-Jackson) and House Speaker Tim Armstead (R-Kanawha) have formally requested that the Joint Legislative Committee on Flooding reexamine the RISE West Virginia program. (Department of Commerce)

By: Jarrod Clay, Kennie Bass, Jeff Morris | Posted: May 23, 2018 | Source: WCHSTV

Senate President Mitch Carmichael (R-Jackson) and House Speaker Tim Armstead (R-Kanawha) have formally requested that the Joint Legislative Committee on Flooding reexamine the RISE West Virginia program.

In a letter sent to the committee, Carmichael and Armstead said,” Many questions and concerns have arisen regarding the management of the West Virginia RISE program, contracts awarded by the program and use of funding the program is charged with administering. I am sure you will agree that flood survivors who are awaiting assistance, as well as the taxpayers, want to ensure that we obtain answers to these questions. We are, therefore, requesting the Joint Legislative Committee on Flooding hold one of more public meetings to examine the management of the West Virginia RISE program at the earliest opportunity.”

Read the complete letter here:

Letter to Flood Committee by WCHS/WVAH on Scribd

This comes on the heels of an Eyewitness News iTeam investigation into questions swirling about West Virginia’s flood recovery program.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said Wednesday he wants a review of LLP/RISE WV, which was contracted by the state Department of Commerce to assist those affected by the June 2016 flood.

“I am completely dissatisfied with the performance of Horne, LLP aka RISE WV and the efforts they have made to help the citizens of Kanawha County that were affected by the flooding that occurred two years ago,” Carper said in a news release. “These citizens deserve to be helped so they can have their homes back.”

Our iTeam investigation found that in the aftermath of that disaster, millions of dollars in donations poured into the state and last august, Gov. Jim Justice announced the formation of the Rise West Virginia Disaster Recovery Program, but many people are still in need.

RISE WV was introduced as a way to repair and reconstruct single family homes and rental units which were damaged in June of 2016. But many disaster victims say instead it’s been a bureaucratic nightmare and nearly two years after the high water receded, they are no closer to having their lives put back together.

On Tuesday, several top lawmakers, including Sen. Ed Gaunch, R-Kanawha, and House Speaker Tim Armstead, said the program has failed those who needed it most.

In Kanawha County, at least 288 residents who were affected by the floods have requested assistance from RISE WVA and have not been approved for assistance, the news release from the Kanawha County Commission said. The Kanawha County Planning Office has been attempting to obtain information from Rise WV regarding the applications and were told the information could not be shared with the county’s Planning Office.

“I want answers. I believe the Legislature and the Legislative Auditor’s Office should consider this matter and determine if RISE WV has been paid for services they have actually performed,” Carper said.

Carper commended members of the Legislature who have raised issues about the RISE WV program.

“Senator Gaunch, Senator Ferns, Speaker Armstead and others, and I stand with them and believe a complete inquiry needs to be completed,” Carper said.

Below is a news release the Kanawha Commission’s news release and copies of letters Carper has sent to officials calling for the legislative review:

RISE WV Press Release by Anna Taylor on Scribd

Timing of bat study results could push back construction of flood replacement school by one year

By: Jeff Jenkins | Posted: May 22, 2018 at 1:47 p.m. | Source: WV MetroNews

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — It’s possible site preparation for the construction of a new Herbert Hoover High School in Kanawha County won’t begin until November 2019. A pending bat study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service could push the timbering of the site back by one year, state lawmakers were told Tuesday. (more…)

Several SBA board members oppose voting on Hoover demolition

Herbert Hoover High Principal Mike Kelley walks through a hallway in the former Hoover building that was filled with slick mud by the June 2016 flood. The building was closed, and students are attending classes in portable rooms until a new school is built. Gazette-Mail file photo

By: Ryan Quinn, Staff Writer | Posted: May 21, 2018 | Source: WV Gazette-Mail

Several state School Building Authority board members Monday opposed voting on the contested bid to demolish Kanawha County’s former Herbert Hoover High building, and the SBA’s board executive director said after the vote that he doesn’t plan to put the issue on a meeting agenda.

(more…)

Two years later: Flood victims wonder where Rise WV aid is

By: Kennie Bass | Posted: May 17, 2018 | Source: WCHSTV

It’s been nearly two years since the deadly flooding of June 2016.

In the aftermath of that disaster, millions of dollars in donations poured into the state and last august, Gov. Jim Justice announced the formation of the Rise West Virginia Disaster Recovery Program, but many people are still in need. (more…)