Need some advise, water damage

[Guest guest]

Sunday night we had a very severe storm (tornado couple of blocks from our

home) and water was dripping from the ceiling of my front entry. This was

around midnight. I opened part of the sheetrock to allow the water to flow

out and detected mold odor. Put on my mask and protective gear and removed

more of the sheetrock. The hall is our entry by the front door,the roof

line is continuous from the front porch which slopes upward to the bottom of

the second floor which is a bedroom. Looking with a flashlight up the

opened sheetrock I saw wet insulation and wet and black wood studs (which

means to me this has been a slow leak for some time).

Took a huge trash bag, pulled the insulation I could reach and put it into

the bag, washed down the wood with soap and water (what I could reach) and

then sprayed after the rain stopped with vinegar and peroxide. However,

about 6 feet further up and more I can see black on the wood plus a moldy

smell. My dehumidifier is running full time, have a portable UV light which

I set up on a tall ladder by the opening and have two floor fans running

with media and charcoal filter material on them. I'm concerned of course

from what I know that this could be very dangerous.

Yesterday was Memorial Day, no contractor answered phone. I climbed up on

the roof and couldn't visually see obvious damage that would cause this

leak.

Hubby was given a referral by some employees in his company of a contractor

that is suppose to come today or tomorrow to inspect. I spoke with him on

the phone, explained my concerns and physical issues and he didn't seem that

concerned really.

Financially this will cost a lot of money. We cannot turn this claim in to

homeowners. We just signed a new policy, has $2,000 deductible and being

Texas if we have a water/mold claim we'll either be dropped or rates

increased and then tied into the insurance company for another 4 years. So

all this will have to be at our expense.

Questions for immediate advise and also for the repairs. First, what can I

do right now to protect myself and the home from further contamination?

Repair. Since I saw black discoloration on the wood going up to the second

floor, I think the entire sheetrock ceiling needs to be removed, all the

insulation taken out, all the wood taken out and replaced. What about a

product (non-toxic to me) to spray into that area and under the second story

floor area to kill any mold spores? And while they are doing all this I

think they need to isolate the area by putting plastic sheets on both side

of the hallway to reduce contamination to the rest of the house. They can

have access to the area by the front door.

Any suggestions and advise would be very appreciated. Without mask I'm

reacting in the hallway. Chest tightness and pain, hoarseness, burning eyes

and dizziness.

Thanks,

Rosie

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