posting from the flood zone...

[pieces o nine]

Just remembered *another* thing I DO NOT LIKE about this city: floods. 

(If it isn't the tornadoes, it's the hailstorms; if it isn't the hailstorms, it's the plagues of cicadas; if it isn't the plagues of cicadas, it's the ice storms; if it isn't the ice storms, it's the floods...)


Some of the rest of you have had Too Much Rain lately as well. At some point last night, Too Much Rain turned into flooded basements on this end of town. I spent a quarter hour getting Mom's cat into the basement when the tornado warning sirens went off -- "Bring the capture bag, Jim!"   When they called those off we all returned upstairs and remained there for the rest of the off-and-on thunderstorms and hail storms. This morning I went downstairs and noticed that the tile looked unnaturally shiny. Carp! Carp! Carp!


Got almost the entire library upstairs and out to the dry-as-a-bone garage. 4 boxes of books on bottom layer were inverted onto side chairs and wet bottom flaps ripped away -- there doesn't appear to be any damage, hallelujah! 4 adjacent boxes were inverted and *very wet* bottom flaps ripped away -- minimal damage, yay. Final 2 boxes from bottom layer were inverted and extremely wet bottom flaps fell away -- all those books transferred, wet-side-down to line stairway while I turned my attention to other problems. I don't think I'll be able to save many of those, WAH! Oh -- it also rained twice -- once with hail -- while I was doing this. 


Worked like a proverbial dog for twelve hours, snorkeling water with my one-gallon wet/dry shop vac, and emptying it every 3(!) seconds into an 18-gallon plastic trash can. I have no idea how many of those I dragged to the toilet to empty, while steadily encouraging the single floor drain to not give up. 


Apparently it's been awhile since they had flooding, as 4 rooms have carpeting laid down. I was able to roll up and drag away soaked carpet from 2 rooms, but the other two have heavy furniture which I can't move upstairs alone, and carpets large enough that I couldn't move *them* alone even if there was anywhere to go with furniture. 


Finally called mom's contact number on her trip, which I really hated to do as she will not enjoy the rest of it. I was distressed to find that she has no plan to deal with this. WTF? If this had happened when I lived 3 blocks from *the* lake in a previous state, I would have picked up a large-capacity shop vac, maybe a sump pump, and rented a carpet shampooer (designed to suck water thoroughly and leave floor completely dry), but I have an out-of-state ID, checking account, and contingency funds only here. :-(   The neighbors seem to be 'waiting for water to go down" before doing anything in their basements, and have spent the day socializing with each other outside (when new rain wasn't falling). Where is CNN and their "Let's interview disaster idjits" camera teams... 

I  *should*  continue snorkeling water tonight, but I am exhausted and after 6"pm wimped out to dragging the 18-gallon can only half full before emptying it. I found a number for her handy-woman helper; she's coming tomorrow to help me finish the job. So instead I'll be running down here every 15 minutes to make sure that the drain is still draining, and sweep another mini tide of water at it. Whoever designed and built this house back in the 50s constructed the basement with one high, absolutely dry spot: the freaking unfinished shower. (I have revisited, perhaps unfairly, my theory that the purpose of the necktie is to completely shut off the flow of blood to the brain, rendering the wearer an imbecile.) 


I have also entertained myself when dragging by re-writing the words to the spirituals I learned as a child, to better reflect the actual working conditions here. So far, my favorite is:

When pieces went to Grand Is-land
(let my basement dry!)
More water than a 'triple-water' Sign can stand
(let my basement dry!)

Go-down! Noah! Wa-ay dow-own in Grand Is-land...
Tell Po-sei-don, let my basement dry!

There are other equally touching verses, but I will spare you. 
But I've found that I can really belt out the refrain...
(Swato -- can I borrow the "Choral Squids" to sing backup?) 
       

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
ps: where is the "non-smiling mop" icon!

[beagle]

Eeek.  Not sure what to suggest other than take pictures for the insurers and try and lay your hands on some rented builders' sized dehumidifiers before mildew sets in.  Assuming you've got the funds and they aren't already all out...

[Griffin NoName]

...................., but the other two have heavy furniture which I can't move upstairs alone, and carpets large enough that I couldn't move *them* alone even if there was anywhere to go with furniture. 

I always understood the purpose of heavy furniture was to stop the carpets shrinking when wet.

The neighbors seem to be 'waiting for water to go down" before doing anything in their basements, and have spent the day socializing with each other outside (when new rain wasn't falling).

Maybe the neighbours know something you don't ?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maybe you will wake up and find all this has been a dream ?   

[Sibling Chatty]

Cheap kitteh litter helps soak up the last of the waterz and pull moisture out of the grout.

Cheap kitteh litter also helped save some of my books after the 2001 flood in Houston. I was in the hospital still, and didn't get to them by remote control (phone to people taking care of stuff at the house) for 3 days. What I had them do was fan out the pages and sprinkle in the kitteh litterz. It drew out the moisture and helped separate the pages so they didn't stick together as they dried.

[Bob in a quantum-state-of-faith]

.... (I have revisited, perhaps unfairly, my theory that the purpose of the necktie is to completely shut off the flow of blood to the brain, rendering the wearer an imbecile.) 

Naaaah..

The necktie was invented by an irate wife, as revenge for her idiot husband.

Worked, too....

[pieces o nine]

My first visit back since above rant...

I kept water under 1" (to save furniture I couldn't move) but Sun night we got another series of heavy rains. Ground water rose rapidly overnight; pc unplugged and moved post-haste upstairs. Set it up again in (New! Improved!) Temporary Location late last night. Hallelujah -- everything still functioning.

The other reason neighbors were out socializing was that this is one of the first houses in this neighborhood. The lots of the newer ones were built up before construction, so some didn't have water until this week.

Got a skimmer sump pump ordered; was hoping it would arrive today -- tomorrow for sure. I am getting "dam" tired of being sent to turn on and babysit the traditional one (loaned from one of her church friends on high ground), because they never installed a sump-sink here. This one is good to 2", then starts sucking air. Must also be babysat so motor won't burn out as it's not properly submerged in the really-quite-chilly ground water. (Not complaining about that -- ground water is infinitely preferable to the Other Kind!)

For some reason she is also determined to run her central air to the same temp as would be desirable in a dry house and hot summer. Not only am I tired, wet, cold, sleep-deprived, and on-edge, I am COLD! grrrrrrrrr

I smelled natural gas a couple nights ago and twisted her arm to get her to call the utilities (she could smell nothing). She did, in fact, have a gas leak. I told her that I have no intentions of being electrocuted and/or blown up in the basement while standing in icy waters. Technician installed new regulator; could not get pilot relit. Should have been here yesterday to try again. (Gas is off) Will call myself tomorrow to check on that if needed in case they forgot about us.

Go-down! Noah! Way-ay dow-own in Grand Is-land...

[anthrobabe]

I'm glad no illness due to gas leak----
my thoughts are with you.

[pieces o nine]

Thanks for the kind thoughts, anthrobabe. 


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Oi say, wot be that verrra odd sound em-en-ate-in frum thee Midwest?

Oi finks hit be ever Dom thee Danger Catte honkin' hup a furball, orrr else hit be pieces, chokin' 'arrrd on 'er past glib hadvice t'ovver "Adult Children ov Parents wot be Mothers".

[Opsa]

Loved the song ( you are a trooper!), but what a mess! How are you drying out today, PO9?

[pieces o nine]

Loved the song ( you are a trooper!), but what a mess! How are you drying out today, PO9?

As long as oi be not a 'empty trooper'        then all be well, oi finks.

Moarrr rayne las' noight, but thee basement still be dry, thanks be to Cronan! New furnace/AC bein' hinstalled today.   

[Opsa]

Glad to hear it! Hopefully the onset of July will break the rain pattern.