Mother says she wants answers after living with mold in Savannah apartment

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV)—A mother of three reached out to WSAV in an effort to get answers after she said that she and her family have been exposed to mold in their home for about a month now.

Diondria Lewis said she, her husband and their autistic children are dealing with the physical symptoms of living with mold, but it’s taking a tole her on her mentally as well. She said the Royal Dutch Villas has “factual evidence” that mold is growing.

“We can see it and smell it,” Lewis said. “My kids are having health issues. They have allergies and asthma already, but now I hear them sneezing and coughing. Any mom who has kids on the autistic spectrum knows that anything can alternate behavior. So, they have been to therapists through school, and they have been telling me that they noticed a change recently.”

Lewis showed WSAV’s Sarah Smith her children’s bedroom, where she said the mold ruined dozens of their clothes and toys, leaving them no choice but to throw them away. Then she took a step further, moving her kids out of the room entirely. They are now all sleeping on the couch.

“I need them to know how serious this is and to take this serious,” Lewis said. “This is our livelihoods.”

When walking through the home, water can be seen on the damaged floors. The source of the mold, she said, is coming from the vacant apartment below her.

She said that she’s trying to prevent her unit from getting that bad, or she’s just hoping to get some of her money back and move elsewhere.

“I pay a pretty penny for this,” Lewis said. “So, I would just like to be treated as a long-term tenant. A trustworthy, long-term tenant but you just treated me like a nobody.”

WSAV has reached out to the Royal Dutch Villas for a statement or an update. We have not yet heard back at the time of publishing this article.

This is an ongoing story and when WSAV receives more information, we will update.