Castle Rock Family Concerned About Mold: 'I Couldn't Breathe'
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (CBS4)- The Rogers family's apartment in Castle Rock is missing chunks of drywall after days of continuous rain flooded their apartment. Blooms of mold have sprouted on the walls and the carpet is still wet days later.
"You could walk on it. It made a squishing sound, like you were walking in a puddle," said resident Naomi Rogers.
The heavy rain that pummeled the Front Range on Thursday caused her apartment at The Pines at Castle Rock to flood, leaving her with soaked carpet and visible spots of mold inside her home.
Nearly a week later, the carpet and most of her family's belongings are still damp.
"Saturday night was really bad. I couldn't breathe, I was opening my windows," said Naomi.
Naomi and her husband don't have flood insurance and they can't afford to stay in a hotel. Their five children are staying with relatives until the problem is resolved.
"Their rooms are destroyed, there's no drywall. Their closets are still wet," said Naomi.
The Rogers family is not alone. Travis Chancey with Abbots Fire and Flood said recent weeks of rain have created flooded apartments, condos and homes that have left mold behind.
"We're seeing over 100 calls a day and we had over 500 over the weekend," said Chancey.
Chancey said when the mold is visible, as it is in Naomi's case, it poses a respiratory risk. He recommends families vacate the residence immediately until the problem is addressed.
"When it releases this type of micro-toxin in the air, it spreads through the home, the air conditioning and it causes more cross contamination," said Chancey.
Contractors have removed sections of drywall from Naomi's walls, which leaves her up close and personal with her neighbors.
"Please stop raining," said Naomi.
The property manager for The Pines at Castle Rock has decided to put the Rogers family up in a hotel until the mold situation has been resolved.
