Chinese drywall victims speak out

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) - The frustrations in a town hall meeting in Newport News Monday night on defective Chinese drywall were evident as soon as leaders opened the floor for questions.

Many of those present have moved from their homes. Amanda Fowle asked a Consumer Product Safety Commission representative, "What is your purpose? How can you help us?"

Jay Howell, with the CPSC Office of Compliance, answered by explaining the agency determines if products are safe, but does not "have the power to distribute money."

Howell went over the steps the CPSC has taken over the last year to test drywall and draft remediation guidelines.

But there was little new information for homeowners.

"Everything you showed me today, I could have told you" said Deborah Morgan. Applause filled the room.

Homeowner Matt Nations said, "I'm 30 years and I'm afraid to drink the water in my house for fear that it's somewhere correlated to Chinese drywall."

But there were no answers about the safety of water running through pipes. There were no answers about how to prevent foreclosure while the courts and governments find money to fix corrosion, odors, and unexplained health problems associated with the drywall.

When someone mentioned mortgage forbearances, a woman stood up and replied, "I know all about that. I called [my bank], my home goes to foreclosure tomorrow."

There were no representatives from the Health Department or the Centers for Disease Control in the meeting. Del. Glenn Oder (R-Newport News) who co-hosted the event said he would reach out to those agencies for future meetings.

However, a CPSC representative, Christopher Day explained he has been in 40 to 50 homes and experienced some of what the homeowners describe.

"I can definitely detect a difference in breathing. I don't think anyone, any of the commission staff that's been in these houses argue that's it's an irritant.

The issue is building our scientific case and having peer-reviewed scientific evidence of what it's causing," Day explained.

While people in 37 states report having defective drywall, all homes impacted in Virginia have drywall from the same Chinese government-owned manufacturer.

Fowle asked: "With all of these visits to China, all of these meetings, what is China saying?"
Howell replied: "There is ongoing dialog, but to be perfectly frank, they are noncommittal."

Local elected leaders say they are committed to seeing the U. S. government take greater action.

Newport News Council woman Madeline McMillan asked Representative Rob Wittman to take her question back to Washington, where aid is being sent to help the international community.

"Ask who there has the moral conscious to step in and help our own citizens?" McMillan said.

Her comments were followed by another round off applause as dozens of those in attendance rose to their feet.

Congressman Rob Wittman (R-Williamsburg) was a co-host for the meeting. He told the crowd he only has one vote in the 435-member House of Representatives. Wittman explained that he has introduced legislation to give homeowners a little more than $30,000 in tax breaks each year for three years to help with remediation and relocation costs. The bill is currently with the House Ways and Means Committee.

And a new group of concerned citizens went to the drywall meeting.

Renters who signed leases in homes and have recently discovered the problem drywall, spoke up during a question and answer period. They like homeowners said they need answers about how to get out of the situation without ruining their credit.

Oder and Virginia housing officials said they are currently working to adopt state standards and procedures when it comes to drywall, because the Commonwealth's existing regulations do not address the problems discovered in the last year.