What did the ice-jam floods of 1984 and 1985 leave behind?
The National Weather Service Buffalo history records the February 1984 floods, when hundreds of basements in south Buffalo took a foot or more of water, and the February 1985 jams on Cazenovia, Buffalo and Cayuga creeks, which led to evacuations. The sources do not place those floods in 14210 by ZIP code, so this page does not claim that the ZIP was flooded in either year.
The lesson for a 14210 cellar is the one the record teaches elsewhere. Water that stands on a masonry floor for a day leaves silt and holds moisture in the wall, so the first job is to take out the water and the silt before any drying equipment is set up.
How does a crew dry a masonry cellar here?
Block and stone walls and concrete floors hold water and release it slowly. The crew takes readings at several heights and depths, because a wall can look dry on the surface while its inside stays wet. The drying equipment is set to the readings, and the wall is treated until its readings reach a dry level.
The wood at the top of a cellar wall, the sill plate and the first joists are checked separately. Water can climb into that wood even when the cellar floor drains quickly, so a dry floor is not the end of the job. The note records the readings for each point.
What does the mold rule mean for a damp cellar wall?
A cellar that stays damp after a flood can develop growth on the framing or the finish. In New York, mold assessment and remediation are regulated under Labor Law Article 32, which requires state licences for mold assessors, remediators and abatement workers. The rules took effect on January 1, 2016, and the Department of Labor administers them.
Drying alone was not confirmed to need the same licence, so a crew names the licence that applies to each part of the work. A homeowner should ask for that answer in writing before any mold removal begins.
Who handles the permit and the insurance question for a 14210 cellar?
The sources did not establish which City of Buffalo office handles permits for drainage or foundation repairs in this ZIP, so the page names no office. The owner should ask the city and the contractor which permit applies before any repair to a drain, a sump or a foundation wall.
Insurance claims go to the insurer under the policy. The New York State Department of Financial Services is the state regulator for insurers, and the crew's readings and photographs are the records most useful to a claim. Keep copies of each one.
