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“The New York Times” recently reported that the Department of Housing Preservation and Development issued over 14,000 violations for mold infestations in residential buildings in 2010. Not just found in NYC’s older buildings, the Stachybotrys chartarum strain of mold was found along with other molds linked to respiratory tract illnesses in buildings that are not even five years old. New York City investigates approximately 500 cases of mold each year.

Librarians started work on February 16, 2011 only to discover a major leak flowing from the ceiling of the Carrier Library’s special collections room, which contains historical documents, manuscripts and archived records, along with other special collections. Although the cause of the leak is still unknown, librarians were able to salvage or preserve all of the water-damaged documents from the Virginia library.

Wildfire crews with the Texas Forest Service responded to six wildfires that spanned 1,124 acres over the weekend. Over the last week, however, 50 wildfires affected 20,670 acres of Texas land. In response, fire managers with the Texas Forest Services are using aircraft in many of the inaccessible parts of the state, such as Type I helicopters and single-engine airtankers (SEATs).

The year 2009 was one of record-setting devastation for those near the Red River in North Dakota. Since then, the city of Fargo has purchased 50 properties in an attempt to protect the city from flooding without the need to use sandbags. However, homeowner John Stern will not budge.

If residents and business owners near the Mississippi River do not have flood insurance, now is the time to get it. The” Winona Daily News” reports the National Weather Service predicts the famous river will reach a “moderate flood stage.” However, record-breaking floods are cautiously predicted.