Criterion

Beware the Sandy Cough

Storm victims and clean-up workers plagued by mold as local hospital sees rise in lung infections.

Hurricane Sandy victims continue to be plagued by rashes, asthma and coughing as cleanup efforts continue and mold problems in affected areas persist.

‘I feel totally drained, tired,’ Patrick Zoda told NBC 4 New York. ‘Every morning I wake up coughing.’

Zoda has been working to save his Staten Island home for the last month after it was damaged by Sandy. As he rips up damaged floors and insulation and scrubs away mold growth, he’s exposing himself to thick clouds of debris that are settling in his lungs and making it hard for him to breathe.

Hurricane Sandy victims, like Patrick Zoda, continue to be plagued by rashes, asthma and coughing as cleanup efforts continue and mold problems in affected areas persist.

It is a very dry cough that I have,’ Zoda said. ‘It’s not a normal cough.’

Like Zoda, many affected by Sandy are refusing to condemn their damaged homes and they are trying everything in their power to save them.

At least on area hospital is seeing a rise in patients suffering from asthma, bronchitis and other lung infections as a result.