For insurers facing extraordinary exposure from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the bad news continues. Serious mold contamination is now threatening water-damaged homes and commercial properties throughout the region. With losses estimated to rise beyond $90 billion in flooded New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, the more than 15,000 adjusters dispatched aren't nearly enough to handle the region's estimated two million claims. Hurricane Wilma and recent flooding in the Northeast are only compounding the problem. Moreover, the hurricanes may just be the start of painful times for insurers and property owners if the disruptive weather patterns predicted for the rest of the century by Purdue University researchers prove correct.

With all this bad news piling up, the insurance and real estate industries could use some good news for a change. A revolutionary new heat treatment process established in California is looking like it could be the silver lining to a very cloudy period, providing an alternative methodology which could save the insurance and real estate industries billions of dollars. ThermaPureHeat may be a big part of the solution. ThermaPureHeat has proven to be an effective alternative to traditional demolition-based remediation and building dry-out methods, potentially saving U.S. insurers billions of dollars over the next several years. The process, developed by E-Therm, an environmental remediation innovator based in Ventura, Calif., uses superheated, dehumidified air to disinfect, decontaminate, and dry out buildings in much the same way heat is used to pasteurize milk and kill bacteria in wine.

In the ThermaPureHeat process, technicians use propane-powered portable heaters and air blowers to inject superheated air into the affected space, raising the temperature of a single room or entire structure to as much as 160 degrees Fahrenheit for several hours. Heat has shown to be effective in destroying active mold growth sites, and kills viable mold spores, bacteria, viruses, insects, and other heat-sensitive pests and organisms. Heat also accelerates the off-gassing of odors and toxins, even in inaccessible areas, without the use of chemicals. One of the main benefits of heat is that the proper application can dry out wet buildings much quicker than the traditional method of simple air movement and dehumidification typically used by flood restoration contractors.