Video - Soldier Returns Home to Mold and Mildew

April 9, 2008

Soldier Returns Home to Mold and Mildew

WLTX.com - Columbia,SC*

EASTOVER (WLTX)- Sgt. Les Harbin says his wife called him overseas

just to tell him about some household cleaning that wasn't exactly

nifty.

Unfortunately, when he arrived home, he found about $15,000 in

damage to one room in his house.

" It's pretty bad, " says Harbin.

Busted sheetrock, ruined carpet, and mold are inside Harbin's home.

" All this is gonna have to be ripped out: floors, walls, and hot

water heater, " Harbin says.

After taking emergency leave in Afghanistan, Sgt. Les Harbin found

tons of mold and mildew in his bedroom.

" I haven't been here to inspect my home daily; if I was I would have

caught it a lot sooner, " he says.

If he was home, Harbin says Allstate would have kept him in good

hands.

" Because I wasn't here to catch it and call them sooner,they're

saying they're not covering it. My policy only covered if it was a

sudden burst which in my opinion it was, " he says.

Only he couldn't hear it on the other side of the world. It's

something his wife Robin might have caught, but she was diagnosed

with colon cancer. His wife was staying with family members,

fighting for her health.

Harbin doesn't want a hand-out because he's a soldier, but he

thought the company might understand.

Allstate says they're sending an adjuster this week and that they've

been working with Harbin, but he says that's news to him.

" I just got a call today that they're meeting with me, but it was

the first I had heard of it, " he says.

After initially hearing he's not covered, he wonders if help will

ever come.

Instead his focus is on the good fight in his life: after a

successful surgery last week, his wife is now cancer free.

" She has to do chemo for a while, but she's doing well, " he says.

Thankfully the couple has another home they're able to live in since

Harbin is concerned about the health risks associated with mold and

mildew.

If you'd like to help, call News 19 to reach the family.

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