Project Katrina

I really hope Nagin and his staff have thought through the health ramifications of letting thousands of residents back into New Orleans. It appears mold can be a pretty pesky fungi.

Doctors prepared for a possible surge in the number of patients in New Orleans on Friday as many residents returned to begin the long process of rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Katrina.

Contaminated water, mold and the dusty sediment left behind when the city was pumped dry are some of the key health threats facing residents, according to Dr. Frederick Cerise, the head of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

"We’ve been testing around the city and it’s not consistently clean and that’s because there are still leaks in the system," Cerise said.

"So as the water comes out of the pumping stations, it’s clean, but as it goes through the pipes because of the leaks there, there is still seepage in. So it’s unpredictable…"

Cerise said that mold could be a serious problem for people with asthma, allergies or weak immune systems and that some people could have allergic reactions similar to pneumonia.

He recommended that people wear protective masks in closed areas or when doing work that could kick up dust.