Last Monday was pretty ordinary til about 5 pm I went to work. I stopped in to see my Mom. I picked my daughter up at the mall from her job at 5 But right as she left work a heavy rain storm moved in. Driving home became treacherous as roads began to flood. I tried alternate roads with no success and finally got us safely home. I was so thankful; I had water was coming through the floor boards of my car during the last part of our journey.
When we got to the house we could see that our back yard was flooded. Not just a few inches, but feet. The water was racing across the yard up the slope to our home. Our street became a raging torrent. It did not even look like a road. Cars began to stall out. I called my wife who was at work in the next town over and told her to check in with me before she tried to come home from work. In the middle of that conversation we lost our phone and internet. I was cooking supper also while all this was going on--food is always a priority! LOL As I was making supper my daughter Elisabeth said she could hear things bumping in our cellar. I went outside and opened the bulkhead (we don't have an inside access) and discovered the cellar was flooded to the second stair from the top.
We have a gas heater which was not on. And a gas hot water heater which had been on. I have alarms down cellar if gas is escaping but those also were now underwater and unlikely to be functional. I have no sense of smell so I would not know if gas was escaping. I called the Fire Dept and explained. They said they would put me on the list. I could hear sirens all over the city and I knew others were very likely worse off. Supper was done, I had not used gas to cook it (thank you Instant Pot) We ate while we watched out the windows as the water roared like a river down our street. I texted my wife that we were all ok but she should stay where she was.
Hours passed. Water crept higher. I called the fire dept again and they said they would bump us to priority status. A few minutes later I saw an engine up the street. I ran up to them and explained. They agreed to check our gas for us. They used a meter and could not detect escaping gas. However they also could not shut off my gas as the shut off and the meter are inside the cellar. Evacuation was suggested but not made mandatory. Truly I had nowhere to go with 3 animals, a disabled adult and my daughter and myself. I suggested we shelter in place with doors and windows open. The fire folks could not of course say that was great but there was no compelling proof that we would not be safe, particularly if we did not use any gas.
I slept rather little that night. My wife called about midnight and said she heard a dam might break and that the water could potentially head to us. I tried to sound super calm because she was hysterical. I said no one had come to talk about evacuation and that they surely would if that was immenent. I fell back asleep but woke when flashing lights were outside. Worried that this might be the evac order, I got up but it was a crew trying to get a submerged car out of the street. I texted my boss that I would not be at the quarterly manager's meeting and gave a brief overview of what was transpiring. I dozed some more til about 6 when I got up to try and survey the damage.
The water had receded. There is a benefit to a clay floor in the cellar. But the devastation it left behind was pretty massive. I could not walk safely down there initially. My wife arrived home and I said the first thing was to call for a dumpster because they were going to get rented out quick with all the damage sustained by folks in our city. The second call was to the plumber so we could at least get hot water and order a new heating system. The last call was to our insurance company.
It turned out we were the first people to rent a dumpster. A 10 yarder was delivered early that morning and I called out of work and started filling it. Friends came over the next day and they helped continue that effort. We got fans going in the cellar to help the floor dry but getting out everything that was wet was key. By the end of the week I had moved out enough belongings to fill the dumpster 3 times. Wash rinse repeat. On Saturday my friends came back and helped me move out the 2 fridges, the washer and the chest freezer that had been destroyed. The water was so strong it had tipped over the fridges and the washer!
I am looking at this as a great opportunity. An expensive one to be sure as surprise! Homeowners insurance does not cover this. One apparently needs flood insurance even if you don't live in a flood plain and have never had this happen in the more than 90 years that your family has lived in this same house. (I am not that old, I am the fourth generation to live here!)
I plan on repointing the foundation over the winter because hey, I like a project. Once that is done there are walls that I will insulate with rock wool and we can put in some new led lighting and make a decent workshop. My grandfather had put up paneling (which I have had to rip out) and instead I will use a plastic product that I used in part of our bathroom reno. It is water and mildew resistant and a better choice for a basement/cellar area in my opinion.
Others had it so much worse. Someone I know had a sink hole destroy the foundation of their home. It is condemned. Another person had their car swept away when the driveway gave way. No less than five people I know personally had cars flooded and totalled. My neighbors house is being worked on but was declared unlivable at this time. 3 families have had to find temporary housing as a result. I may eventually remember to post some pictures of right after the flood and after I cleaned it up. We will see. For now, I am simply hyper aware of our good fortune and that what is important is not things, it is family.
