"It can be replaced," someone tried to comfort me as I sobbed over the destruction. Beautiful Christmas reminders, Christmas trees, things that have been put aside for special reasons. All wet and sloppy. This has been a long night, the sun will shine soon, but that is not a comfort when wading in knee high water in your own house.
Within 2 hours, enough rain had fallen to saturate this basement, exceeding the operation tolerance of 2 sump pumps. The rate of water filling the sump well is faster than the rate of water pumped out, thus overflowing the well. A quickie here, a sump well is the containment for the water that flows around the house. Adding to the liquid fury, there was sewer backup from the basement sink and the washer discharge, meaning the public sewer transportation system hit a overload.
At 4:30 am, the water has risen above the first step of the stairs, approximately 8 inches, while the rain continues to pound ferociously. "I am going to Walmart for another sump pump," I declared. The normal 5 minute drive became a 30 minute obstacle course, filled with flooded junctions with 2 feet high water, water shooting vertically from man hole covers. A scene taken from Die Hard perhaps, cars were drifting in the murky waters, I saw a camero floating between 2 gas stations. I splashed through the puddles in 4 wheel drive, in my dear Jeep with the higher clearance. Walmart was out of sump pumps or shop vacs, surprised. Adopting the flight paths of airlines, I went north to head south, go east to reach west, painstakingly I was home empty handed.
So the recovery process begins, anything that is floating receives priority lift to higher ground. Yes, FLOAT. Laundry baskets, toys, basketball, Christmas decorations, etc. All the fatigue masked the anger. Everything in the basement is wet, if not destroyed. Appliances are not meant for submersion, washer, dryer, furnace, water heater, freezer, treadmill. You just have to hope the electricity continues to run the sump-pumps, for the next hours to come.
Hours of recovery later, the floor emerged and the rain also stopped. Efforts turn to cleanup, backup of the sewer system means contamination and the use of a lot of bleach. The floors, walls and anything standing did not escape the cleaning power of chlorine. We have run out of drying room, anything that can be salvage was spread out to dry. Appliances have been unplugged and opened up.
What else can be done now, besides wait, drying and healing time.
As I begin to post this, the authorities are mulling shutting off the main water supply due to rising waters in the proximity of the water plant.
The reality in the new century, sometimes the disasters on the tv can really happen to you too.
Within 2 hours, enough rain had fallen to saturate this basement, exceeding the operation tolerance of 2 sump pumps. The rate of water filling the sump well is faster than the rate of water pumped out, thus overflowing the well. A quickie here, a sump well is the containment for the water that flows around the house. Adding to the liquid fury, there was sewer backup from the basement sink and the washer discharge, meaning the public sewer transportation system hit a overload.
At 4:30 am, the water has risen above the first step of the stairs, approximately 8 inches, while the rain continues to pound ferociously. "I am going to Walmart for another sump pump," I declared. The normal 5 minute drive became a 30 minute obstacle course, filled with flooded junctions with 2 feet high water, water shooting vertically from man hole covers. A scene taken from Die Hard perhaps, cars were drifting in the murky waters, I saw a camero floating between 2 gas stations. I splashed through the puddles in 4 wheel drive, in my dear Jeep with the higher clearance. Walmart was out of sump pumps or shop vacs, surprised. Adopting the flight paths of airlines, I went north to head south, go east to reach west, painstakingly I was home empty handed.
So the recovery process begins, anything that is floating receives priority lift to higher ground. Yes, FLOAT. Laundry baskets, toys, basketball, Christmas decorations, etc. All the fatigue masked the anger. Everything in the basement is wet, if not destroyed. Appliances are not meant for submersion, washer, dryer, furnace, water heater, freezer, treadmill. You just have to hope the electricity continues to run the sump-pumps, for the next hours to come.
Hours of recovery later, the floor emerged and the rain also stopped. Efforts turn to cleanup, backup of the sewer system means contamination and the use of a lot of bleach. The floors, walls and anything standing did not escape the cleaning power of chlorine. We have run out of drying room, anything that can be salvage was spread out to dry. Appliances have been unplugged and opened up.
What else can be done now, besides wait, drying and healing time.
As I begin to post this, the authorities are mulling shutting off the main water supply due to rising waters in the proximity of the water plant.
The reality in the new century, sometimes the disasters on the tv can really happen to you too.
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