I have a whole new respect for people who have had to deal with natural disasters. Have you all heard about the flooding in RI? Guess where I live? Until yesterday afternoon I was knocking on wood any chance I got because we had not been effected by the flooding. Even in normal times, RI is a wet place and many people deal with water in their basements when it rains or when a big snow melts. Not us. We've been very lucky. I've lived in this house for 9 years and have never had a problem. As a matter of fact, our entire neighborhood is very dry. No one ever seems to have issues (even though the cove is at the end of our street). Lucky right?
Well, our luck ran out yesterday afternoon. My girls came home from school to find an inch of water in our basement. By 4:00 pm it was up to 3 inches. And this morning it's more like 5. Geoff and the girls and I spent a few hours yesterday afternoon moving as much stuff as we could off the ground and off low shelves (luckily we do not have a finished basement, though we do store a lot of stuff down there). It's hard to tell how much we can salvage and how much we will have to throw out. Thankfully, most of it is just "stuff" and nothing that is irreplaceable.
The whole time I was slogging through the water and moving things I was thinking about the people of New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina. I had a new found sympathy for them. This was just a few inches of water and few ruined area rugs and suitcases, they lost everything. I may be without heat and hot water and the use of my washer and dryer for a few days, not a few years. When friends and neighbors called to ask how we were faring, they all commented on how calm we are about this. And that's why. It's just stuff, replaceable stuff and it's a very temporary set back. A few inches of water in the basement does not a natural disaster make. And you know what? I still feel lucky.
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Ack, I can feel your pain. I remember the first time my mom's house flooded. I believe she was in shock as she laughingly told a passerby that she now had fish swimming in her kitchen. She did. She had to go through that many times before her insurance agreeded to elevate her house. She is not 10 feet up in the sky!
I love your attitude! You are so right...it is just stuff. People are what are important, and no one was hurt! That is what matters!!!
We have a lot of flooding here in MA, too, but I have seen how bad you guys got it in RI. I think of you and Sandy whenever they show RI on the news.
I love your attitude about it! I'm so glad that you all are safe!
Oh Wow Pam You guys stay safe up there! And your attitude is beautiful...your family is fortunate to have you in good spirits cause they're all looking to you to see how to respond. Oh my! I feel for you and your family!!!
wow Pam! You do have a wonderful attitude. Our basement has flooded twice (it was finished) and I just think of all the work...yuck. I hope it doesn't get any worse!
That's a wonderful attitude... I'd probably be freaking...hope it all gets dried up soon!
You have the greatest attitude, Pam! It really puts things in perspective when we can step outside of ourselves and our situations a little bit to think about others who've dealt with worse.
Kudos to you for not freaking out and for having such a great handle on the situation!
We just had a nice long chat with our insurance agent about flood insurance :) Hopefully your insurance company is good to you! Your attitude is amazing and I'm hoping for the best outcome to this flooding...maybe an extreme basement makeover?! Feel free to invite me - I'm an awesome painter :)
So sorry to read this! My mom grew up in a house that flooded every few years... yes it is only stuff but some of the losses do hurt.That doll house picture of yours should be an ad for flood insurance.
My heart goes out to you and your family.
Kathy over at Everyday Bliss
Yuck...I hope it's already receding! I dealt with a good amount of water damage when we had a fire a few years ago (sprinklers are great, but they can be overkill!) and sorting through it was a smelly job. Glad it's not summer for you all!
Wow, your pictures are amazing. I can't even begin to imagine having that much water in the basement... of course, we don't have a basement here in Kansas. (we should!)
My basement in OH was apt to flood sometimes though, so I do know what that's like. I like your attitude though... it's all just stuff. That's been my attitude for a few years now. :)
I was watching the story on the news this morning and I thought of you.
Glad to know you're faring well in spite of everything!
Oh! Pam you certainly have the right attitude. And I admire that! But I hope the water doesn't rise any more and that you don't have to throw out too much.
Take care, keep you feet dry.
I'm so glad you are OK -- your attitude is great! I didn't know that RI was flooding until I saw it in the paper today and I've been thinking about you all day. The same thing happened to my Dad last week in MA -- he said it was basically seeping up through the floor because the water table had gotten so high. I hope you dry out soon.
Oh Pam, it's a mess, but you are right about the "perspective" and attitude you have.
I hope you will be drying out soon. The huge doll house broke my heart. I know it's "stuff" but memories.
Be safe!
Very true! We've been lucky enough to never have the basement flood, but our sump pump did quit one time. The only thing that I did get upset over was one of large, framed wedding pictures...luckily though, just the nice frame was ruined. The picture collage inside was fine.
As I sat reading the paper this morning about all the people in RI dealing with flooding in their homes I was really sick to my stomach thinking how I would feel if I lost anything to water. And I was thinking of you and Paul and the difficulty of dealing with this. I don't know exactly what we did right (except for a sump pump) but I am thankful for not having to deal with this. If you need a place to sleep or shower, you know where we live.
Oh, Pam! Bummer! Hang in there. The waters will recede, and keep that right attitude.
I'm so sorry that your basement flooded! How awful. I know it could be worse, and you are awesome for being so calm about it. I really hope it dries out to no major home damage. Good luck!
Oh my. I have never had to deal with flooding in my home. And it's a good thing, because I would have no clue where to even start to get rid of water in my house!
Way to keep it in perspective. Haha! I guess that's probably your specialty!
So sorry you're in such a mess. We were more fortunate here in Provi (at least, parts of Provi.) Living at a higher elevation has its perks, although we did have some basement flooding. Hope your basement dries out quickly!
We've been lucky too, but this storm was the worst of the worst. My father says it was 100-year flood. We got 2-3 inches in our basement Tuesday night. We were able to pump it out quickly, and we vacuumed what kept seeping in with a Shop-Vac until yesterday morning. Now the carpet is slightly damp (we have a half finished basement), but the dehumidfier seems to be drying things out nicely.
You are absolutely right: this is so temporary. We didn't lose anything, other than few ceiling tiles that happened to be on the floor and a rug in front of the washer and dryer. I can't use the washer/dryer for about a week -- just to make sure it's dry -- but I can do laundry at my parents' just fine. I could not imagine if my entire house flooded. I couldn't imagine living just down the street in Cranston or Warwick!
I'm glad you only got a few inches, we are so lucky!
Ahh. You poor thing, what a mess. I love your attitude though — your perspective. It truly is just 'stuff,' and nothing like having it happen to you, gives you more empathy for others. Good luck with your clean up. Wish I were there, I'd come help you out.
You have a wonderful attitude! I do feel bad that the dollhouse is a victim of the flood, tho...
We're keeping a close eye on the Connecticut River nearby, it crested yesterday and is slowly going down, thank goodness.
Be safe.
Sorry it happened to you, but you're right, things could be much worse. If only we could all remember that more often! Hope the cleanup goes smoothly.
Oh, the doll house. Hope you are drying out, but great excuse not to do laundry.
wow that's awful. Good luck with that!
Oh man, that stinks. I am so paranoid of flooding (we just finished our basement) and every time I hear the sump pump go off it's like music to my ears. I'm a dork, I know. Sorry you had to deal with this!
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