As it turned out, mold had grown to hazardous levels behind the walls of the apartment building. The tenants were required to leave their apartments while a mold remediation firm opened up the contaminated walls and ceilings to properly eradicate the mold. Contractors followed to put the walls and ceilings back together, and six weeks later the tenants were back in their units. Because the building owner did not deal with the water intrusion right away, a lack of response caused a Category 1 water damage loss to escalate to a Category 3. Remediation and reconstruction work ended up costing thousands of dollars more, which easily could have been averted if the issue was dealt with earlier. It is evident that various water losses are not the same. As an association manager or board member, you should ensure that staff and owners are Cleanliness of Water Source (Categories) 3 CATEGORY 3 (BLACK) 2 CATEGORY 2 (GRAY) 1 1 Fig. 1 CATEGORY 1 (CLEAN) 2 3 4 5 6 7 Time Elapsed (Days) Paul Daniele is president of Puritan Flood Restoration, a Massachusettsbased firm specializing in water damage restoration. informed of the categories of water damage and that all water losses, no matter the size, are handled in a speedy manner. CM Call the professionals at: PURITAN FLOOD RESTORATION 24 hr Emergency Service Water Removal / Structural Drying Infrared Leak Detection Restorative Drying Toll Free 800-464-0063 or 781-449-5552 www.PuritanFlood.com www.PuritanFlood.com CONDO MEDIA • FEBRUARY 2012 41