NEW ORLEANS -- Trying to figure out how to tell her son Michael that his home has Chinese drywall in it brings Jovan Washington to tears.
"And it is hard to explain to a 7-year-old that we are going to have to one day move out of our home. Our home is what is making us sick,” said Jovan Washington, a Habitat for Humanity homeowner.
When they moved into the home built by Habitat for Humanity three years ago, it was the best time ever, until Washington started feeling sick.
"Maybe about a few months after I moved into the house, I had a real bad cough,” Washington said.
She said strong odors in the home led her to call the utility company twice to check for gas leaks, and then pipes started rusting, appliances failed, wall outlets died, and even her gold jewelry became discolored.
"We've went through maybe five cell phones. I went through two laptops, I've went through five lamps, a stove,” Washington said.
Then in the air conditioner closet she found drywall marked 'Made in China.' Now five weeks after Habitat staffers inspected the home and tested it for tainted Chinese drywall, she says she is still waiting for a plan of action.
"I want to get out until it is safe to come back home,” Washington said.
In this situation I'm asking Habitat officials to take extra steps to help the residents. They first put out a warning about the Chinese drywall a month ago. At that time they were inspecting 51 homes, but now that inspection process has expanded.
"We need to understand though that ultimately this is all the liability of the manufacturer of the product, and we're trying to help our families by jumping on this as quickly as possible,” said Jim Pate, a Habitat for Humanity spokesman.
While 20 homes are known to have unaffected drywall, tests have confirmed tainted drywall in two homes so far. I asked Habitat leaders to help the homeowners as quickly as possible, and they said they hope to disrupt the lives of families as little as possible.
"We're putting together some remediation SWAT, swat teams,” Pate said.
Washington said her son is going to have concerns about the move.
"The first question he is going to want to know is where are we going to live after being shuffled from place to place, city to city after the storm?" Washington said.
“We're in the process right now of trying to explore all kinds of affordable housing options, low cost apartments,” he said.
Any Habitat homeowner who has questions about the Chinese drywall situation can call the agency at 861-2077, extension 239.
