Our lower-level flooded again last night. We ended up calling a company dealing with such emergencies. A neighbor also helped me as I frantically tried to move important paperwork from filing cabinets downstairs to our dining room. Without my wife here, I did what I could on my own and it wasn't enough. Unfortunately, I lost some notes and research I was hoping to use in coming weeks.
Thoughts cannot be replaced, while furniture and appliances can be.
Earlier in the day, I had driven past our insurance agent's office. I had intended to obtain flood insurance this week. It probably wouldn't have been in effect, but I feel horrible.
Why didn't I stop? Because I was coming from a medical appointment, which led to a referral to a surgeon. I'm losing a lot of blood. As readers of this blog might recall, I was hospitalized over Christmas Eve a few years ago with blood loss. I needed a transfusion. We're near that point again.
http://theautisticme.blogspot.com/2008/12/hospitals-smell-funny.html
After having the sort of exam I required yesterday, I wasn't in the mood to stop and deal with insurance. There was a fair amount of discomfort and exhaustion after two hours in a medical clinic.
Ironically, the doctor had told me to limit exercise, not to lift heavy objects, and to take it easy until I am able to schedule surgery. Mother Nature had different plans for me. I carried two fire safes, a huge dehumidifier, and stacks of documents up the stairs as quickly as possible. I had to work a garage door that is broken and deal with doors that wouldn't open easily.
By 3 a.m., blood was running down my legs, but I didn't realize how bad it was until I looked down and saw a red "cloud" in the flood water. I came close to passing out, but I had to keep moving things. The bleeding stopped about 5 a.m., with me curled up on my side on a bed while more than dozen large fans and two monstrous dehumidifiers roared away in the basement.
The rain didn't stop.
Our driveway has been ruined by the storms. A wall between our garage and a basement room shifted with a ear-splitting "boom-crack." Two other walls started to bulge, allowing water to flow, but thankfully only at a trickle by this morning.
I'm exhausted. I'm shaking badly, pale, and still bleeding slightly. I've emailed my boss to let him know I might fall a little behind on projects this weekend. I really need some time to get my mind back on track.
Right now, my plan is to let the demolition team do their job and remove the walls that absorbed water. I'll also wait to see if the new appliances can be dried out enough with dehumidifiers and fans to work properly. This is heartbreaking for me, since the appliances were a gift from my family. Right now, I know they need to be re-leveled and inspected before I try to test them.
I'm assuming most of my tools are okay. Tools seem to be built to handle disasters as long as you dry them quickly. I'd hate to lose any expensive saws, the air compressor, or the lawnmower. I'm 99 percent certain the lawnmower will be okay, even though it was floating. I hadn't realized a metal lawnmower could float until I saw it drifting through the garage.
Right now, these are the plans:
We might relocate before we sell the house. In fact, that seems to be the best plan so the house can be repaired without anyone (or any pets) living inside.
Moving is a high, high priority for me. I need to focus on my job, not pumping water out of a basement or chasing after my garbage cans. I do not want to see a lawnmower floating ever again. I'm going to talk to my boss and my coworkers to find a better place to live. We have to stay here at least for six years, somehow. But this move has been lousy so far.
I'm disgusted, tired, and frustrated.
Thoughts cannot be replaced, while furniture and appliances can be.
Earlier in the day, I had driven past our insurance agent's office. I had intended to obtain flood insurance this week. It probably wouldn't have been in effect, but I feel horrible.
Why didn't I stop? Because I was coming from a medical appointment, which led to a referral to a surgeon. I'm losing a lot of blood. As readers of this blog might recall, I was hospitalized over Christmas Eve a few years ago with blood loss. I needed a transfusion. We're near that point again.
http://theautisticme.blogspot.com/2008/12/hospitals-smell-funny.html
After having the sort of exam I required yesterday, I wasn't in the mood to stop and deal with insurance. There was a fair amount of discomfort and exhaustion after two hours in a medical clinic.
Ironically, the doctor had told me to limit exercise, not to lift heavy objects, and to take it easy until I am able to schedule surgery. Mother Nature had different plans for me. I carried two fire safes, a huge dehumidifier, and stacks of documents up the stairs as quickly as possible. I had to work a garage door that is broken and deal with doors that wouldn't open easily.
By 3 a.m., blood was running down my legs, but I didn't realize how bad it was until I looked down and saw a red "cloud" in the flood water. I came close to passing out, but I had to keep moving things. The bleeding stopped about 5 a.m., with me curled up on my side on a bed while more than dozen large fans and two monstrous dehumidifiers roared away in the basement.
The rain didn't stop.
Our driveway has been ruined by the storms. A wall between our garage and a basement room shifted with a ear-splitting "boom-crack." Two other walls started to bulge, allowing water to flow, but thankfully only at a trickle by this morning.
I'm exhausted. I'm shaking badly, pale, and still bleeding slightly. I've emailed my boss to let him know I might fall a little behind on projects this weekend. I really need some time to get my mind back on track.
Right now, my plan is to let the demolition team do their job and remove the walls that absorbed water. I'll also wait to see if the new appliances can be dried out enough with dehumidifiers and fans to work properly. This is heartbreaking for me, since the appliances were a gift from my family. Right now, I know they need to be re-leveled and inspected before I try to test them.
I'm assuming most of my tools are okay. Tools seem to be built to handle disasters as long as you dry them quickly. I'd hate to lose any expensive saws, the air compressor, or the lawnmower. I'm 99 percent certain the lawnmower will be okay, even though it was floating. I hadn't realized a metal lawnmower could float until I saw it drifting through the garage.
Right now, these are the plans:
- Dry out the house, before the next storm.
- Schedule my emergency surgery, so I don't end up hospitalized again.
- Have the driveway repaired, ASAP, so we can direct as much water as possible away from the house during storms. Also, the driveway is impassible for a car because the gravel and dirt moved into deep ravines and tall mounds. A total mess for now.
- Repair the walls that shifted, probably waterproofing as well as anchoring.
- Make the minimal number of repairs necessary beyond flood-prevention.
- Sell the house.
We might relocate before we sell the house. In fact, that seems to be the best plan so the house can be repaired without anyone (or any pets) living inside.
Moving is a high, high priority for me. I need to focus on my job, not pumping water out of a basement or chasing after my garbage cans. I do not want to see a lawnmower floating ever again. I'm going to talk to my boss and my coworkers to find a better place to live. We have to stay here at least for six years, somehow. But this move has been lousy so far.
I'm disgusted, tired, and frustrated.
Take care of yourself. Top priority. I have this horrible vision of you passing out into the flood waters in your home that night.
ReplyDelete((())) Hope things improve for you.
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