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After the building or area has been declared safe to enter, the Disaster Response Director may need to ensure that Facilities Management is taking some or all of the following steps, depending on the extent and type of disaster, to stabilize the environment.
- Arrange security for the building or area.
- Turn off electricity and/or establishing emergency power, as required through facilities and/or security.
- Eliminate any source of unwanted water.
- Ventilate building or area by opening windows or turning on the air conditioning and fans to increase air circulation.
- Gather samples, as necessary, to check for gas leaks, sewage, debris, asbestos (a potential problem where the ceiling is destroyed in buildings constructed before 1980), or chemical contamination.
- Protect the building or area and materials from further harm by arranging for emergency repairs to roofs, windows and stacks, and clearing mud or debris; protecting undamaged materials by moving them or covering them with plastic.
- Remove moisture from the environment by pumping out water, vacuuming or removing wet carpeting and turning on dehumidifiers (45% Rh) to dry the air.
- Prevent mold by monitoring the temperature and humidity with hygrometers and lowering the temperature and humidity as much as possible; in winter, turn off the heat; in summer, set air conditioning to 65 F; watch out for mold growth in enclosed spaces; continue to promote maximum air flow with fans (as needed and if it is safe to do so).
- SOME TYPES OF MOLD ARE EXTREMELY TOXIC TO HUMANS; if mold or mildew is found on large numbers of materials, evacuate people and wait for assistance; (it takes 48 - 72 hours for mold or mildew to develop).
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