We had a tree limb fall on roof this past weekend after a storm and discovered only after finding water on the floor in a bedroom the next morning. There was a few water marks on ceiling and cleaned the water up-- but in the middle of the next night a large piece of ceiling/sheetrock came down and fortunately missed our sleeping teenager who was quite surprised.
The owner of house was called and had the ins. adjuster come out the next day, in the meantime he put a tarp on the roof and got the limb off--it wasn't that big but I guess heavy due to being waterlogged.
So going to have estimates etc. but in the meantime we're staying out of room as looks like more ceiling could come down, though looks like it's dried out but not taking any chances.
The house is about 50 years old and though has had some updates, not sure about the sheetrock or whatever other materials that may cause health issues. Am especially worried about mold or toxic mold as a friend told me happened to them after water damage and said if it doesnt get repaired fast it could be a problem and cost a fortune to repair. Also wondering about asbestos--if that might be in the ceiling-sheetrock as heard that is in older buildings and if asbestos is exposed it could cause serious health issues in the future. Also we have 2 asthmatics in home who am concerned about though don't seem to be affecting them as yet.

Any comments and advice appreciated especially on these possible health issues, am including pics for your review..Thanks so much!

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...4121021-00.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...ulation1-1.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...2/ceiling3.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...2/ceiling4.jpg
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3.../ceiling8a.jpg
>>The red arrow is just to highlight the dark insulation/sheetrock or whatever as opposed to the white feathery stuff..

 

I don't think you have anything to worry about. Asbestos used to be present in some acoustical ceiling textures, but I don't see any of that. Certain types of ductwork and pipes were wrapped with it, but I doubt that's an issue in that ceiling either. Your loose white insulation appears to have been recently installed- shredded fiberglass has not been in use that long so it isn't original to the house. As far as mold, mold isn't usually a problem from a one time incident, provided it gets dried out quickly. Looks like the water all pooled in one place and when the drywall fell in that's the best thing that could have happened. If the wet insulation gets removed and everything gets dried out with fans you will be in good shape. You should be glad this happened when it is cool and not when it's hot- most types of mold get a jump start when the temps are warmer. (not that some mold can't grow in cool temps)

If you are concerned about others in the house that are sensitive to dust (this should be your main concern right now) Then put on a n-100 mask, seal all the ducts in and out of the room with poly and 2" wide 14-day painters tape. And then seal the OUTSIDE perimeter of the door with the same. When someone needs to get in they can unseal the outside, enter the room, and then seal it back up from the INSIDE while they are in the room. Drywall dust does not have asbestos, but silica. Like any sort of dust, it's not good to breathe. But I doubt you'll have much of that until they start sanding the new drywall.

That's the only precaution I'd recommend you take, assuming its drying out. If the landlord hasn't already put fans up in the attic, put every box fan you own up there to increase ventilation asap.

 

The fiberglass should be removed if it shows signs of moisture since it will never really dry out in place, especially is you have a warm, humid climate. It can feed moisture to the remaining drywall and wood for the growth of mold. I saw hundreds of similar cases in LA and MS after Katrina. Unfortunately they did not have the insurance and just patched things up and mold showed up months later and all repairs and more had to be torn out and replaced. Fiberglass does not actually absorb much water, but it does a great job of holding it and it takes air flow and movement for few days under good conditions, so it is usually better to toss it.

The cause of the ceiling coming down was probably due to the weight of some of the wet fiberglass.

Dick

 

Thanks so much for those informative replies--much appreciated!