Chalmette, the seat of St. Bernard Parish, is about 6 miles east of downtown New Orleans and was rebuilt almost from scratch after 2005. NOLA Mold Remediation is a free quote service that connects Chalmette homeowners and renters with independent local mold companies.
Get a Free Quote Call (504) 370-1142Hurricane Katrina struck on August 29, 2005. A storm surge of about 25 feet, pushed in through the MRGO shipping channel, flooded most of Chalmette, with water as high as 14 to 15 feet in some places. The storm killed about 1,400 people in all. Twenty-one years later, the town is home to 22,616 residents (American Community Survey 2020–2024), and St. Bernard Parish has grown 4.3% since 2020 to 45,642 (Census Bureau 2025 estimate), one of the few growing parishes in the metro.
The housing shows the rebuilding. 12.2% of Chalmette's homes were built in the 2000s and 10.9% in the 2010s, well above the Jefferson Parish shares. The median home still dates to 1978, and 54.8% were built before 1980, so many older houses were likely gutted and repaired rather than replaced. Some were likely raised. Don't assume a 1970s Chalmette house still has 1970s walls.
Look where the repairs met the original structure: the bottom of walls, under windows, around rebuilt bathrooms. Ask whether any original framing or subfloor stayed in place after the flood, and whether it was dried and cleaned at the time. A company can check moisture there before opening anything up.
Look up and down. Attics and AC equipment can sweat in summer, when dew points average about 72 to 74°F. Under an elevated house, the space below the floor sits at outdoor humidity. 12.8% of Chalmette homes are single attached units like townhouses, where a neighbor's leak can cross a shared wall.
St. Bernard Parish was in FEMA disaster declarations for Katrina (2005), Isaac (2012), Ida (2021) and Francine (2024), as well as Tropical Storm Lee (2011) and Hurricane Barry (2019). If water gets in:
Flood damage goes to your flood (NFIP) policy, and wind, roof and plumbing damage usually goes to your homeowners policy. Mold coverage depends on the cause and your policy's mold limits. Water damage and mold combined runs $2,700 to $10,000 in Fixr's national estimate (Aug 2025), not a quote. See the cost guide.
Louisiana requires a Mold Remediation license from the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors (LSLBC) for mold remediation projects of about $7,500 and up (La. R.S. 37:2150.1). A whole-house flood job will usually cross that line. Before you sign, look up the company's license on the LSLBC website.
Yes. A rebuilt or elevated house still faces the same humid air and heavy rain as everything else in the New Orleans area. Common sources are roof leaks, AC condensation and plumbing. Raised homes can also get mold under the floor if the space below stays damp. Newer materials help, but they don't stop water.
It depends on the policy and what you did after the flood. FEMA says NFIP policyholders must take steps to limit mold growth after a flood, and policies don't cover mold if the owner failed to act. Talk to your adjuster before signing a cleaning or remediation contract, and document everything first.
Ask for its LSLBC license number and look it up, since Louisiana requires a Mold Remediation license for projects of about $7,500 and up. Ask for a written contract with the price and insurance certificates, proof of liability insurance and workers' comp, and a written report at the end. If you want testing, use a separate company.
New Orleans, including the Lower 9th Ward and New Orleans East next door, is covered on the home page.
Share your ZIP, where the mold is, how big an area, and whether it followed a flood, storm or leak. Say if you have an open insurance claim. Independent companies reply on their own schedules; they may pay to receive requests, and you can decline any quote.
Describe it once and independent mold companies serving New Orleans and the metro can reply with no-obligation quotes.
