- June 26, 2019
Drenched floors and mold contamination. Those are the conditions that a West Omaha woman claims she has been dealing with in her apartment for about four months.
Carla Kazee said that she was told that she could move to a new unit, but she said that it’s “too little, too late”. While the new unit is dry, Kazee says that she is worried about the effects of possible mold exposure on her 18-month-old daughter in the old unit.
“In the other place, I had to have tables and chairs blocking the corners of the room where the floors were getting wet because she came around the corner the day before yesterday with a hand full of black mold and had it in her mouth,” said Kazee.
When the temperatures turned warmer, the carpeting in her apartment was torn up and fans were used to dry things out.
Bel Court Apartments, the complex where Kazee lives, hired Kenney Property Service to dry out the carpeting in her apartment. The apartment complex manager also tested was underneath the carpeting.
“They claim they did a mold test on it, but there’s mold growing up my wall that I’m constantly wiping away,” Kazee said. She also said that it gets wet whenever it rains.
A local news station asked for the results of the mold test, but management at Bel Court apartments told them that it was an at-home test that was sent out to a third-party and that they’re not certain if they received the results.
Management said that Kazee did not contact them, but her call log proves that she did.
Bel Court Apartments offered Kazee and her daughter a new apartment after the news station contacted management, but Kazee said that she’s still worried about the lasting effects that mold exposure could possibly have on her daughter’s health.
“I lay there last night, and you seen how it was today after the rain, and listened to her gurgle when she’s breathing at night sleeping,” Kazee said.
She has brought her daughter to the doctor on several different occasions for respiratory problems that developed as a result of mold exposure. Andre Smith, the father of 18-month-old Mia, said that he has been dealing with health problems as well. Smith said that doctors have told him that conditions he was living in were making things worse.
“They said we had to move out of this apartment. And that’s what’s making me have asthma attacks.”
Kazee is not dealing with expensive medical bills and an additional $50 on rent each month in her new unit, as well as a new year-long lease. She says the added expenses are worth it, however, to ensure that her daughter is safe.
Mold Inspection & Testing Omaha has vast experience performing mold tests in apartment buildings throughout Omaha. We strongly recommend that Bel Court order mold tests at all of the units in the complex to protect the health of their residents. To speak with an MI&T representative, call 402.819.4984.
