ALTOONA—
One month after the worst of the flooding hit Altoona, residents in one apartment building say they're seeing what appears to be mold and their landlord isn't doing anything about it."And I live right next door to this and this happened August 9th and here it is September 8th and me and my kids are living here," says Becky Auch as she points to a closet in the hallway adjacent to her apartment that appears to be filled with mold. Auch says since her home at Parkview Apartments flooded, she's had to remove her own carpeting and replace floor tiles. Now she's worried about possible mold contamination.
But her landlord says he's paying tenants to remove their own damaged carpets if they choose; offering rent discounts to those who stay; and letting those who want to leave break their leases. As for the possible mold, he says he didn't even know about it. "My first priority wasn't going into the hallway and open up the closet door and seeing mold and mildew," property Manager David Newman says, "My first priority was helping the tenants bail water out of their apartments. Dealing with getting carpeting out. Dealing with Red Cross. Dealing with FEMA."
Newman says he only learned of the possible mold contamination when Channel 13 brought it to his attention. He says he will look into it and, if necessary, clean it up.
