Gibbons Basement Systems, like other foundations contractors, gets 60 to 80 calls a day. Water seeping into basements and crawl spaces is a haven for mold, and it will grow on any wet surface.

"Wood, insulation, sheet rock, anything organic, mold will attach itself to and grow. Once its been wet, you can bet molds going to grow on it," said Dan Barker Gibbons of Basement Systems, Inc.

For health reasons, a wet basement should not go unattended. Houses have what is called a stack effect, where part of the air you are breathing on the first floor is coming from the bottom-up.

Some basements have as much as two feet of standing water.

"Usually it's not too deep, but we have seen cases where at the bottom of the step, when you get to the basement, you've got six or eight inches of water," Gibbons said.

There are a few simple steps to combat the problem. These include landscaping the outside of the structure so that the water gets away from the building, a good gutter system, and keeping a step ahead of cracks in your foundation.

Mold is not dangerous for healthy people, but those with allergies or asthma may be more sensitive and experience skin rash, eye irritation, or difficulty breathing.