New Jersey was amongst the least fortunate of areas hit by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Twelve New Jersey residents lost their lives during the super storm while hundreds of thousands of others were without power, without communication or without a home. Rebuilding after Sandy is an ongoing endeavor. According to Address Our Mess, one major factor that is contributing to the delayed rebuilding effort is a massive discovery of hoarding cases in New Jersey.
Hoarders by the dozen were identified after the super storm made landfall last October. Clean up efforts are minimal, as hoarding is a condition that usually forces people to hide their issues from friends and family. Relief services like the Red Cross literally walked into countless hoarding cases that desperately needed cleaning up.
While water damage and mold may be the most common issues victims of Sandy are facing, cases of hoarding cannot go ignored. The same hazards experienced by victims of water and mold damage are present in the homes of hoarders. In fact, hoarding cases may even pose a greater threat. The massive amounts of objects or animals stored in a home could cause fires and potentially become biohazards. The rebuilding efforts by victims of Sandy could be thwarted if just one hoarding case turns deadly.
Along with members of the volunteer community, friends and families of hoarders are urged to help the cleaning process to begin. Scales of hoarding vary from case to case. However, all levels of hoarding should be handled with care. Hoarding clean up can begin by contacting Address Our Mess directly.
Wed, 03/27/2013 - 15:13 by
Kenneth Donnelly