HOUSTON — It’s been eight months since the storm, but we’re still hearing heartbreaking stories of life after Hurricane Harvey.
One of the biggest battles many are fighting now, though, is mold.
For one Katy man, finding mold in what’s left of his home is just another loss he’s adding to his list.
Once or twice a week, Carl White comes to his home to think. “How my life has turned around, without my wife," White said.
August 27, 2017 was a hard day for Mr. White, but nothing will ever compare to what happened exactly three months before - May 27th, when he lost his wife of 47 years to an infection.
“She just went down. She couldn’t handle it anymore," White said.
So when the home they built together went under water during Harvey, it was just another loss that broke his heart.
“She would be pretty upset that the house isn’t put together yet," White said.
Sure he gets notes every day from people wanting to buy his flooded home.
“I say 'well isn’t that nice, somebody’s trying to make a quick dime,'” White said.
But he’s doing it for her - rebuilding the home they shared for so many years.
“She liked it, a lot. She loved this old house," White said.
Then, two months ago, after everything he’s already been through, there was another setback.
“I don’t have that eye that I can really see it. I can tell it’s grown since the very beginning," White said.
You can see it growing on his ceiling - black mold coming in through the roof.
“The amount of calls we’re getting for mold remediation right now is through the roof," Owner of Paul Davis Restoration, Frank LaViola said.
LaViola says it’s the same for so many. There was no proper remediation after Harvey, so the mold has stuck around. For some, it's in their brand new homes.
“They’ve spent all this money, first of all, putting their house back together, and now they’re going to have to rip stuff out again," LaViola said.
While White waits on his insurance, the mold will continue to grow in a home he never thought he’d build a second time.
“It’s for her and for myself," White said.
LaViola says their mold remediation business has increased 80 percent. He says if you think there might be mold in your house, you need to call a consultant to run tests.