"Devastated by Floods: Kelly Battles Mold and Rats After Losing Almost Everything"

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Kelly Morgan has already begun cutting out parts of the walls and fences in her flood-impacted home in Glenthorne, New South Wales.

“We need to remove these and dry everything out to prevent mould,” she explained to SBS News in Glenthorne.

“My kitchen and laundry have been torn apart. Power outlets, air conditioners, every bit of it—it’s all destroyed.”

A woman with a hat and gloves speaking to a reporter inside a home

Kelly Morgan, talking to SBS News reporter Alexandra Jones, shared that her home, which was previously affected in the 2021 floods, has this time been engulfed completely by water. Credit: SBS News

Morgan’s house was painstakingly renovated after the 2021 floods. Now, she’s lost virtually everything after her entire house was inundated by last week’s floods.

About 32,000 people remain isolated by floodwaters after deadly weather swept through coastal communities, with the NSW State Emergency Service estimating around 10,000 properties have been affected.

Residents are now facing another issue: once waters recede, damp homes, pooled water and limited ventilation create the ideal conditions for mould to grow — sometimes within just 24 hours.

Morgan expects she won’t be able to live in her home for at least a year due to the scale of the damage.

With no aid forthcoming from the military or local council, her daughter Sophie pitches in for the clean-up — drying the house, removing debris, and trying to salvage whatever is left.

Kelly has been forced to burn debris on the side of the road, desperate to clear out her house before the mould sets in. Source: SBS News / Alexandra Jones

Outside, streets are piled high with twisted metal, broken farm equipment and waterlogged belongings, all covered in thick, muddy sludge. With wait times at the tip stretching to over an hour, Morgan has resorted to burning debris.

“We just don’t have the time to try and get this mud out before it sets,” she said.

Morgan is also facing another problem: rodents.

“We have big river rats.”

How concerning is mould?

Mould might just seem like a minor annoyance, but it can have serious health consequences, particularly for children, older adults and people with chronic health conditions like asthma or allergies.

“Some moulds contain toxins some scientists feel may have health impacts,” Associate Professor Nicholas Osborne from the University of Queensland said in a recent article.

“Others may induce allergic reactions, like hay fever.”

Osborne said mould in the home could also exacerbate existing health issues such as rhinitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.

“The jury is still out on whether it contributes to individuals getting these diseases in the first place. In general, a healthy house is one that doesn’t have much mould.”

What to do after a flood

If you’ve been affected by a flood, NSW Health recommends drying out your home as soon as possible to prevent mould from forming.

Open windows and doors to increase airflow, use fans where possible, and remove any pooled water or water-damaged materials.

Clean all affected surfaces using hot soapy water and a disinfectant or bleach solution. Gloves and protective clothing should be worn during clean-up.

The Victorian Department of Health advises removing flood-damaged items that can’t be thoroughly cleaned or dried, including carpets, mattresses, furniture and wallpaper.

Even if you weren’t directly affected by flooding, mould can still be a problem, especially during times of high humidity. If you notice mould at home, it’s important to locate and fix the source of moisture, clean any visible mould safely, and take steps to prevent it from returning.

In most cases, home insurance doesn’t cover mould damage. But some policies will allow you to claim if mould damage occurs as a result of an insured event, like flooding.

But for people like Kelly Morgan, it doesn’t matter. “The flood insurance — it has to be addressed. It has to be looked at [by the government],” she said.

“Who has $70,000 a year to insure your property?”

A chart of how common mould is in Australian homes.

NSW residents appear to have the mouldiest homes according to a Compare the Market survey. Source: SBS News

A growing concern

As extreme weather events become more frequent, mould could become a more common issue for households across Australia.

According to a Compare the Market survey of 1,006 Australian adults from October 2024, one in five people (20.6 per cent) from NSW say they’ve experienced mould in their home in the last 12 months, above the national average of 18.7 per cent.

NSW homes were the most likely to experience dampness, at a rate of 11.7 per cent, compared to the national average of 9.9 per cent.

Meanwhile, Asthma Australia’s ‘Homes, Health and Asthma in Australia’ report from 2022 estimates that figure to be much higher nationwide, finding one third of 5,041 respondents (34 per cent) reporting mould in their home in the last 12 months.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were 2.3 times more likely to report mould and 6.5 times more likely to report dampness.