CBS News, in partnership with KFF Health News, reports that as extreme weather wreaks havoc across the country, the risk of dangerous mold in homes is growing alongside it. An estimated 47% of homes in the US already have mold or dampness, leaving residents exposed to spores and allergens that can cause respiratory problems — and the threat lingers long after a hurricane season ends.
With 29% of the nation’s population living in flood-prone coastal counties, roughly 95 million people are vulnerable when extreme weather strikes. The story features Danae Daniels in Tallahassee, whose off-campus apartment became overrun with mold after 2024 storms, and Lauren Lowenstein in Houston, who discovered mold growing inside the walls of her home only after five years of unexplained family illness. Both cases illustrate one of the greatest dangers of mold: it often goes undetected for months or years.
The article notes that even when mold is found, removing it can be unaffordable for many households. A 2019 HUD review of 88 disaster grants found that the federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery program began distributing funds an average of 20 months after the initial disaster, with disbursements taking two years or longer. “In many cases,” said the Rev. Mac Legerton of the Robeson County Disaster Survival and Resiliency School in North Carolina, “families are left to choose between living in unsafe conditions or homelessness.”
Published November 17, 2025 by CBS News (syndicated from KFF Health News), written by Jonathan R.M. Charles. Read the full article.