Is it possible to safely remove mold in the basement?

Pull out the drywall and see how bad it is. Hopefully you only need to replace the sheetrock. If the damage appears to be more extensive, call in the pros. Be safe, wear masks and eye protection!

https://projects.truevalue.com/maintenance_and_repair/windows_and_walls/remove_mold_from_walls.aspx

This is going to hurt: the drywall and the paneling needs to be cut to two feet above the mold markings. The water has wicked up into both the drywall and the paneling. Masking the issue with any sprays or paint may be a potential health problem. Take it from someone who lives in hurricane alley and has neighbors still working on their homes after Harvey.

Depends on how much mold. Clearly the basement was left wet. A little on a finished surface can be cleaned with Clorox Cleanup. More will require removal of the wall materials. Get a dehumidifier and use it. Get a humidity monitor (less that $10) and keep the humidity in the basement below 50% (my number, the experts recommend lower). I run two dehumidifiers in my southeast Pennsylvania basement at all times to prevent just what you have experienced.

if anyone in the family is allergic to mold or is asthmatic.have a pro come in and do mold remediation. Mold grows in dark damp contitions, and it needs a food source to grow. I’m not allergic to it, so I treated the mold to a snack of equal parts water and 5 percent vinager. The food source can be just about anything. Dog poop, cat barf, sugary drinks spilled, dead earth worms. I tried a commercial product for mold....but the vinager did a better job. Leave the lights on in the basement some molds like damp and dark. Deprive them of thier needs.

In your case its eating the paper and plaster in the dry wall.you are going to need to cut out the affected areas, and patch in the new. that involves levels to snap a streight line and a utility knife to score the line.wear a mask. Dry wall saw to cut it out. Then a half sheet of sheet rock to to make patch it with. Cut the patch to fit, dry wall tape to hold it in place and mud over it.

Did any one check with the insurance company? Would they cover any part of the water damage? And resulting mold removal?

Mold grows inside out. The drywall, insulation will need to be removed above the water line. The mold will need to be re mediated. Then everything rebuilt. She needs pros to do this. Have her check with her homeowners insurance to see if she's covered for this kind of damage. This is not a DIY.

Thank you. Pretty much what I thought.