BATON ROUGE, La. – LSU AgCenter housing specialist Claudette Reichel recently appeared in a national disaster campaign that includes a region-specific publication and three disaster-recovery videos for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Reichel said the videos are part of a national campaign to help victims of hurricane, floods and other natural disasters to recover.

“I was in D.C. working on Rebuild Healthy Homes, which is a national publication on recovery from disasters, and was asked to be spokeswoman in the videos,” Reichel said.

In the video clips Restoring Your Home After a Natural Disaster, Addressing Mold After a Natural Disaster and Returning to Your Flood-Damaged Home, Reichel gives information from real-life experience of living in flood-prone Louisiana. The videos are at youtube.com.

She said the victims of Hurricane Sandy on the upper East Coast in October 2012 used disaster recovery publications that were designed for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

“It was decided that we needed to put together some information that was more region-specific,” Reichel said.

In addition to the three videos, Reichel said, a mobile app will be released early next year.

The purpose of the campaign is the show how serious victims need to be about the recovery of their home. “One thing we try to stress is how dangerous mold is in the home,” she said.

Without taking the proper steps, Reichel said, mold will be present after two to three days after the flood event. Different types of mold can develop after a flood – some harmful and some not.

“I tell people with any respiratory problems to not take chances, just stay away until cleanup is done,” she said.

Other topics addressed in the campaign include:

– Carbon monoxide poisoning

– Radon gas exposure.

– Asbestos removal.

– Precautions with lead-based paint.

Reichel said other things that need to be avoided after floods and other disasters include downed power lines and infestations of critters.

For additional information on recovery from disasters such as floods and hurricanes, visit www.lsuagcenter.com and search for recovery and assistance.

Johnny Morgan