NEW ORLEANS -- Rodney Dinette, a 73-year-old retiree, spends much of his time searching for corroded wires within his Covington home built two years ago.
"Last time I checked, it wasn't as black as it is now," he said after examining one of the electrical outlets inside his home.
His wife, Geraldine, often keeps herself busy by checking the bathroom fixtures.
"These are beginning to corrode," she said, pointing to a silver towel rack now dotted with black spots.
Their home is one of as many as 40,000 in Louisiana believed to have been built with contaminated Chinese drywall.
"People my age don't have the resources to do anything," said Rodney Dinette. "You just have to wait it out. And that's what's sad."
The federal government now confirms what many homeowners have long known: In a new report, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says it’s found a "strong association" between Chinese drywall and the corrosion of pipes and wires. The report also cites a "possible" link between gases emitted from the drywall and reported health problems.
"There will be no one with nowhere to go," said Jim Donelon, Louisiana Insurance commissioner.
During a Monday afternoon news conference in Baton Rouge, Donelon explained how the state plans to increase its efforts in assisting drywall victims. Donelon said the state is now putting new teeth on a little-known state law that prohibits insurance companies from dropping policy holders who have Chinese drywall and who have been customers for at least three years.
Donelon said Citizens Insurance, the state insurer of last resort, will now also offer a cheaper policy, but with less coverage, for unoccupied homes contaminated by Chinese drywall.
"It's not a panacea." Donelon said. "They're still going to be paying to insure property that they're not going to be living in, in many cases, but we will make at least this safety net available.”
But for those like Rodney, living elsewhere just isn't a financial option.
"Everything we have is tied up to this house and we don't have any money left, so where can we go," he asked. "We can't go anywhere, we're sorta stuck."
Many of Rodney's neighbors face the same dilemma. A few have moved out, but a majority are still here.
Rodney said after the storm flooded his St. Bernard house, his spot in Covington was supposed to be his dream home. Instead, he said, it's turned into a nightmare he can't wake up from.
In the wake of its newest drywall report, the federal government says it will now go forward with additional studies on how to best remove the drywall from homes as well look into potential assistance the federal government may provide to drywall victims.
To add a comment, please register or login.