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Overcast Over $100,000 in bills due to mold spreading in home from flood
A busted main pipe has resulted in bad living conditions for Peter Gibbs and his family.
After the main pipe busted open in December, Gibbs, who lives on Grand Avenue, has dealt with a mold infestation. The mold spread around his co-op home to the point where his kitchen and bathroom have become inoperable. Now, Gibbs’ home has missing walls, ceilings, and insulation.
“It took them four days to drain the water,” Gibbs said. “They used dehumidifiers to draw the moisture out and treat the mold.”
The floor in Gibbs’ home was “soaking wet.” Between the floors being ripped out and the walls being stripped, Gibbs was charged $85,000. This amount of money is too much for Gibbs to pay on his own so he started a Go Fund Me fundraiser.
“We are living like squatters in our own house,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs explained that he has one long table for meals with a microwave, air fryer, and candle. He also has a small operational refrigerator that is connected top one fuse outlet. As there is only one fuse outlet, Gibbs said that he cannot operate appliances like his microwave or air fryer when the outlet is being used.
“The co-op is trying to charge us $25,000,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs’s daughter goes to Hangout One Happy Place three times a week and he has another child who has ADHD. Gibbs is trying to give them all the care they need and especially now since his home has been flooded. As Gibbs’ kids are unable to live on their own, he is trying to make sure that they have a safe place to live at his home.
“We tried to have a sit down with the lawyers of the co-op, but they haven’t responded to our email,” Gibbs said. “And they keep telling everybody that it’s in litigation.”
When the main pipe busted open in December, Gibbs and his family had to move into a hotel room. He ended up making out his credit cards, which left him no choice but to head back to his mold infested home.
“The horrible living conditions have caused mental distress for all of us,” Gibbs said. “The children’s ADD and ADHD have heightened as their living conditions have become foreign to them. We are reaching out to all for financial help so we can rebuild our home for our special disability children.”
