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July 30, 2013
Rockaway, New Jersey - A victim of Hurricane Sandy's wrath is now claiming that two well-respected, internationally renown not-for-profits have left her New Jersey home damaged. Barbara Hillary of Rockaway, New Jersey claims that the promises of repair work to her home by the local chapters of Habitat for Humanity and the American Red Cross fell short.
Hillary broke barriers as the first African-American woman to reach the North and South Poles.
According to Hillary, the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity – a not-for-profit affordable housing organization – promised to clean up and abate the mold growing in her basement. However, the volunteers provided by Habitat for Humanity did not complete the job, and what they did complete was not satisfactory. The CEO for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity claimed that the reason the work was not completed was due to Hillary's refusal to let the volunteers into her home to work while she was out. Hillary denies this.
Further, the local branch of the American Red Cross hired a contractor on behalf of Hillary to abate mold and asbestos stemming from damage sustained by Hurricane Sandy. Hillary claims that the contractor took the partial payment from the Red Cross and fled to Nigeria
Hillary is among thousands of Hurricane Sandy victims left with destroyed homes. The gushing waters produced by the monumental storm left many residents battling mold while the hurricane-force winds left materials containing asbestos exposed and deteriorating. If left unmitigated, mold and asbestos can be lethal.
Classified as a human carcinogen or a cancer-causing agent, asbestos is highly toxic. Exposure to asbestos is linked to lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Most commonly associated with asbestos exposure, mesothelioma cancer has several types including pleural mesothelioma, pericardial mesothelioma and peritoneal mesothelioma. In virtually all cases of mesothelioma cancer, the pleura or the protective lining surrounding the lungs, heart or abdominal cavity, respectively, is affected by the asbestos particles.
As a whole, asbestos is not considered dangerous, but as the material deteriorates, microscopic particles are released, contaminating the air. During an asbestos exposure episode, these microscopic particles often become embedded into the pleura.
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