Emergency & Post-Flood Mold Remediation in Baton Rouge, LA

Flood mold in Baton Rouge: August 2016 and the storms since

The National Weather Service describes the August 11 to 13, 2016 storm as 20 to 30 inches of rain over parts of southeast Louisiana, with flooding most widespread in East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Ascension and Tangipahoa parishes and an estimated 50,000 to 75,000 structures flooded. Watson, about 20 miles northeast of Baton Rouge, measured 31.39 inches. The Amite River at Denham Springs crested at 46.2 feet on August 14, its flood of record and almost 5 feet above the April 1983 crest of 41.5 feet, and the Comite River at Joor Road reached 34.22 feet against a previous high of 30.99 feet. Federal inspectors later counted 20,808 flood-damaged households in Livingston Parish.

Storms add to it. Hurricane Gustav knocked power out for days in 2008, according to the National Weather Service; Hurricane Ida left nearly 250,000 homes and businesses in East Baton Rouge without power at its peak in 2021; and Hurricane Francine brought trees and power lines down across at least 45 roads in the parish in 2024. The Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30 and peaks around September 10.

Relief is being built: the Comite River Diversion, a 12-mile channel meant to carry Comite River floodwater to the Mississippi, is estimated by the Army Corps of Engineers for completion in late 2028. It does nothing for a wall that has already flooded.

Call (225) 422-7176

Post-flood timing: the first two days and after

The Louisiana Department of Health's guidance is that, in most cases, mold will not grow where wet areas are dried within 24 to 48 hours. After a flood it is blunter: if your home could not be dried, furniture and contents included, within 24 to 48 hours, you should assume there is mold growth. Inside that window the job is extraction and drying. Past it, and certainly once floodwater has soaked into walls and floors, the job is post-flood mold remediation.

How post-flood mold remediation is done

An independent assessor records the water line, reads moisture in the walls, floors and framing, and checks the AC equipment and ducts, which in a raised house or a slab house with an attic system may or may not have been reached. The scope follows the water.

The remediation contractor removes drywall to a height above the wet line, pulls out wet insulation, flooring, carpet pad and any cabinets or trim that soaked up floodwater, and bags it all. Studs, plates and subfloor are cleaned, treated and dried with dehumidifiers until the readings come down. Ducts or air-handling equipment that took floodwater are cleaned or replaced. The rooms are checked independently before insulation and drywall go back.

Flood mold in houses rebuilt in a hurry: what to look for now

A house that was gutted and closed back up while the framing was still wet can hold mold in the wall cavities long after the paint is fresh. The usual signs are a musty smell that comes and goes with the weather, staining or swelling along baseboards, wood floors that have cupped, and insulation that was never replaced. An assessment with moisture readings, and where needed a few small inspection openings, shows what is inside without tearing the room apart.

Call (225) 422-7176

Post-flood mold remediation cost in Baton Rouge

One room after a flood is $3,000 to $9,000. A whole first floor that took water is $10,000 to $30,000, and a whole house or several levels $25,000 to $80,000 or more, because all of it has to be opened. Cleaning or replacing AC equipment and ducts that floodwater reached adds $3,000 to $15,000. Clearance testing after a flood job is $100 to $200 per room. The price table has the rest.

Flood mold remediation and Louisiana's two-firm rule

After a flood, the pressure to have one company do everything is understandable. Louisiana does not allow it for mold: a mold remediation contractor may not both assess and remediate the same property, or hold an interest in both firms (La. R.S. 37:2158(A)(23)). An independent assessor sets the post-flood scope and checks the result; a separate remediation contractor does the removal.

Calling after a flood or storm

Call (225) 422-7176 and say when the water came in, how high it reached, whether it was rising water or a roof opened by wind, and what has been done since. If the house took water in 2016 and was rebuilt, say that too. The callback form below works as well.

• Drying out in the first days after water gets in
• Flood mold in Denham Springs and Walker
• Floodwater under a raised house
• Assessing a house rebuilt after 2016