Gustav & Hanna & Ike - Page 4

kimmyfrmtx · 09-18-2008, 02:06 AM

Well I am at home and have power and internet; and very soggy carpet. Looks like I had about 5 inches of water in the house. I needed to be 12 1/2 ft above sea level for this storm. Oh well I wanted new carpet anyway.

The Ford Taurus my son was working on rebuilding got flooded as well, the headliner is dry but everything else is soggy. Looks like it will go to the junkyard now, all the electrical on it is trashed I am sure. He said it would cost more to fix than he would ever be able to get out of it.

My fence is also down, looks like a piece of someone's pier crashed into it. There is debris piled all over the place. My neighbors stairs are in my back yard, someone's propane tank is kinda in a tree/sitting on the fence across the street (not the lil tanks you get for your pit, the BIG 5 ft long tanks)

The good news is the house is standing tall and strong, no busted windows, no shingles missing.

My pups are just so glad to be home, being in a house with 5 people and 60 dogs made them a little nervous. They slept most of the way home, then came home & laid on the back porch; now they are laying on my bed sleeping some more. They have had a rough week!

Coming thru Houston was really strange. Billboard signs bent over backwards, many signs busted or gone, some broken windows but less damage than I expected.

I haven't been able to do much traveling around to see the aftermath yet but life is getting back to normal. Many businesses in the Clear Lake, League City, Dickinson area are up and running. Didn't see long lines at the gas stations in the area, just a few cars/trucks gassing up.

Miros1 · 09-18-2008, 03:40 AM

Oh no! I hope you can get your wallboard dried out without too much hassle!

kimmyfrmtx · 09-18-2008, 03:48 AM

If worse comes to worse I will just cut it out and replace it. Among my many past jobs I hung sheetrock, did tape & float, texturing & painting. I had been thinking about adding more insulation to the walls anyway. I had been considering ripping up the carpet and putting in hardwood or bamboo throughout the house as well. Maybe this is the universes way of saying "yup, you should do that".

homerette · 09-18-2008, 06:07 AM

That's a good way to look at it, Kimmy. I'm glad there wasn't any worse damage, although I'm sure that's enough.

Greg · 09-18-2008, 05:15 PM

Yup, it's Mother Nature's way of keeping the carpet industry in business. Did you pull off your baseboards? That will let the sheetrock dry out and help prevent mold and mildew from taking over.

They're still working on power lines in El Lago, but at least they're working on them!

NASA and the contractors expect to reopen on Monday if it is safe to do so, so we're planning on sojourning back this weekend if there's power to our house. Parts of JSC may open on Friday; they'll bring mission control back home if they can.

kimmyfrmtx · 09-18-2008, 09:36 PM

not yet, but that is a good idea.

We are ripping up carpet a bit at a time, that stuff is HEAVY even picking it up in small strips. When we pull furniture out the mold is already starting. I have sprayed it down with bleach and left the furniture out in the middle of the floor.

Got a call in to the insurance co but they haven't called back yet. Who knows how long it will take before they show up. I am not going to let my house grow moldy waiting on them. *mutters about red tape*

Miros1 · 09-18-2008, 11:55 PM

Something I didn't realize until this morning... A block and a half the other way, half a white birch tree came down. Missed the wires, hit the second floor window!

Kimmy, I don't blame you -- once the mold gets started, it's just about impossible to get rid of, especially since oil-based enamel is illegal now. Make sure you've got pictures of everything before you start ripping it up. Try calling the national number for your homeowners; they might be able to send in someone from farther away who's not overwhelmed with storm claims.

Crystal · 09-18-2008, 11:59 PM

I know what its like to rip out old carpet Kimmy but I never had to carry wet carpet. That must be awful! Coco says yes its good to do that and baseboards. Insurance companies want to see you protected the property from mold. They had some business where people had to sue the insurance company and thats one thing they try to bring up like you didn't protect your property.

Rip out all the carpet you want fixed before the storm troopers show up because they'll try to cheat you out of replacing any thats not ripped out. Storm troopers are insurance adjusters that go from one disaster to another and try to screw the clients out of their insurance claims so if you got a full replacement policy make sure they are going to pay for full replacement. If they say stuff like you can do some of the work yourself and save some money watch out!! They will try to rush you and push you to sign off on the claim so don't let them. Get your own independent estimates for repairs unless your very sure about theirs.

Sometimes they play games like making appointments and then not showing up to make you impatient so if they do that complain to your insurance agent not to them and complain loudly. Tell them that you had to add the time you took off work to the claim and they will stop because that's a legitmate cost at least up here its a real expense you would not have if you didn't have the claim. If you got a good insurance company you can also ask them to send a company claims adjustor not hired storm troopers.

Greg · 09-19-2008, 04:52 AM

Yes, good advice all around. I had an experience like that with the insurance adjusters that came around after most of the houses in my neighborhood got flooded because of frozen pipes in the attic.

Greg · 09-20-2008, 11:28 PM

As of yesterday, the power was still out at the houses in El Lago. We're hoping to hear something positive today but have no real reason to expect that the lights will be on at our house yet.

Greg · 09-21-2008, 07:28 PM

Day 11 of this adventure: Still no power at the house. Darn.

Greg · 09-21-2008, 10:25 PM

I found some amusement in looking on the Centerpoint Energy site to find out when they expect to restore power to my neighborhood. The map that shows when they expect to have the lights back on also shows Ike's path.

Power Restoration Plan Superimposed on Google Map

It looks like the eye of the storm passed within four miles of my home (marked by the star). From all I've heard, the only effect was having some tree limbs down; and, of course, knocking out the power lines.

The bad news is that the power restoration map shows that they don't expect to get the lights back on at my place until "after Thursday, September 25, 2008." Darn. Rats. Dirty socks.

kimmyfrmtx · 09-23-2008, 12:24 AM

Greg, are you in contact with someone in El Lago that says your power is not on? According to that map I don't have power either, but I do.

Interesting thing about that map, looks like the eye went right over or very close to my house. I was already extremely grateful I only got minor damage, but now even more so!

My neighbor stayed for the storm. He says NEVER AGAIN! The water kept rising & rising, he said he grabbed his cordless saw and headed for the attic! He said he is going to beat me out next time.

Greg · 09-23-2008, 03:12 AM

Kimmy, yes. Today I talked to my boss, who told me that my next-door neighbors are without power.

Golly, yeah; it a cat 3 hurricane is heading for Galveston, it has you squarely in its sights! I wouldn't worry so much about a small cat 1 because the storm surge is pretty wimpy but anything bigger than that is not something to be toyed with.

As soon as I get back, I'll look around to see if Ike left any of your stuff in my yard!

Crystal · 09-23-2008, 11:54 PM

Greg do you know when you get to go home yet?

Greg · 09-24-2008, 01:24 AM

Maybe as early as Thursday. I suggested that if we can find out that the power is on at the house, we could head back tomorrow, but Melva said it's too late tonight to get all our stuff all packed up. Since she is the keeper of the beasties, she's the boss.

kimmyfrmtx · 09-24-2008, 12:19 PM

I hope you get to go home soon, there really is no place like home.

Reminds me of a Mastercard commercial;

Evacuating from Hurricane Ike: $500
Flood Damage $5200
Being Home Again: Priceless

Greg · 09-24-2008, 12:49 PM

Indeed! I just want to go home! Just add the complication of wanting to move into my own home on top of that!

The good news is that they are ahead of schedule. Last night's update to the power restoration map shows Taylor Lake, El Lago, and Seabrook with 0-20% of customers without power. (Zero is good in this case.)

That means my challenge for today is to get the fambly motivated to hit the road by tomorrow. We can't know for sure whether we are part of the 0% or part of the 20% until we get there and turn on the breakers.

Even better: The long-weather weather forecast indicates that 90-degree weather is done for this year. That should help with the mold and mildew that has probably been getting a foothold in both houses while the power was out.

Greg · 09-25-2008, 01:57 AM

Trivial update: We now have eyewitness reports that the the lights are on at our next-door neighbors' houses, so we can head on home tomorrow with high confidence that the house will be inhabitable when we get there! Hooray!

kimmyfrmtx · 09-25-2008, 03:18 PM

So glad to hear it. Have a safe trip.

09-18-2008, 03:40 AM	#62
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	Oh no! I hope you can get your wallboard dried out without too much hassle! __________________ A game that horrible Odessa-person introduced me to: http://www.puzzlepirates.com/?affili...163251&lang=en I'm spreading the addiction by corrupting all my friends (and attempting to make in-game money when they try the game).

09-18-2008, 06:07 AM	#64
homerette Day late & a dollar short Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: central VA Posts: 206	That's a good way to look at it, Kimmy. I'm glad there wasn't any worse damage, although I'm sure that's enough. __________________ May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out.

09-18-2008, 05:15 PM	#65
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Yup, it's Mother Nature's way of keeping the carpet industry in business. Did you pull off your baseboards? That will let the sheetrock dry out and help prevent mold and mildew from taking over. They're still working on power lines in El Lago, but at least they're working on them! NASA and the contractors expect to reopen on Monday if it is safe to do so, so we're planning on sojourning back this weekend if there's power to our house. Parts of JSC may open on Friday; they'll bring mission control back home if they can. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

09-18-2008, 11:55 PM	#67
Miros1 Goddess for Life Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NY State Posts: 3,303	Something I didn't realize until this morning... A block and a half the other way, half a white birch tree came down. Missed the wires, hit the second floor window! Kimmy, I don't blame you -- once the mold gets started, it's just about impossible to get rid of, especially since oil-based enamel is illegal now. Make sure you've got pictures of everything before you start ripping it up. Try calling the national number for your homeowners; they might be able to send in someone from farther away who's not overwhelmed with storm claims. __________________ A game that horrible Odessa-person introduced me to: http://www.puzzlepirates.com/?affili...163251&lang=en I'm spreading the addiction by corrupting all my friends (and attempting to make in-game money when they try the game). Last edited by Miros1 : 09-19-2008 at 04:05 AM.

09-19-2008, 04:52 AM	#69
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Yes, good advice all around. I had an experience like that with the insurance adjusters that came around after most of the houses in my neighborhood got flooded because of frozen pipes in the attic. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

09-18-2008, 02:06 AM	#61
kimmyfrmtx Rising Sun Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 16	Well I am at home and have power and internet; and very soggy carpet. Looks like I had about 5 inches of water in the house. I needed to be 12 1/2 ft above sea level for this storm. Oh well I wanted new carpet anyway. The Ford Taurus my son was working on rebuilding got flooded as well, the headliner is dry but everything else is soggy. Looks like it will go to the junkyard now, all the electrical on it is trashed I am sure. He said it would cost more to fix than he would ever be able to get out of it. My fence is also down, looks like a piece of someone's pier crashed into it. There is debris piled all over the place. My neighbors stairs are in my back yard, someone's propane tank is kinda in a tree/sitting on the fence across the street (not the lil tanks you get for your pit, the BIG 5 ft long tanks) The good news is the house is standing tall and strong, no busted windows, no shingles missing. My pups are just so glad to be home, being in a house with 5 people and 60 dogs made them a little nervous. They slept most of the way home, then came home & laid on the back porch; now they are laying on my bed sleeping some more. They have had a rough week! Coming thru Houston was really strange. Billboard signs bent over backwards, many signs busted or gone, some broken windows but less damage than I expected. I haven't been able to do much traveling around to see the aftermath yet but life is getting back to normal. Many businesses in the Clear Lake, League City, Dickinson area are up and running. Didn't see long lines at the gas stations in the area, just a few cars/trucks gassing up.

09-18-2008, 03:48 AM	#63
kimmyfrmtx Rising Sun Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 16	If worse comes to worse I will just cut it out and replace it. Among my many past jobs I hung sheetrock, did tape & float, texturing & painting. I had been thinking about adding more insulation to the walls anyway. I had been considering ripping up the carpet and putting in hardwood or bamboo throughout the house as well. Maybe this is the universes way of saying "yup, you should do that".

09-18-2008, 09:36 PM	#66
kimmyfrmtx Rising Sun Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 16	not yet, but that is a good idea. We are ripping up carpet a bit at a time, that stuff is HEAVY even picking it up in small strips. When we pull furniture out the mold is already starting. I have sprayed it down with bleach and left the furniture out in the middle of the floor. Got a call in to the insurance co but they haven't called back yet. Who knows how long it will take before they show up. I am not going to let my house grow moldy waiting on them. mutters about red tape

09-18-2008, 11:59 PM	#68
Crystal Addicted Anjafan Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 160	I know what its like to rip out old carpet Kimmy but I never had to carry wet carpet. That must be awful! Coco says yes its good to do that and baseboards. Insurance companies want to see you protected the property from mold. They had some business where people had to sue the insurance company and thats one thing they try to bring up like you didn't protect your property. Rip out all the carpet you want fixed before the storm troopers show up because they'll try to cheat you out of replacing any thats not ripped out. Storm troopers are insurance adjusters that go from one disaster to another and try to screw the clients out of their insurance claims so if you got a full replacement policy make sure they are going to pay for full replacement. If they say stuff like you can do some of the work yourself and save some money watch out!! They will try to rush you and push you to sign off on the claim so don't let them. Get your own independent estimates for repairs unless your very sure about theirs. Sometimes they play games like making appointments and then not showing up to make you impatient so if they do that complain to your insurance agent not to them and complain loudly. Tell them that you had to add the time you took off work to the claim and they will stop because that's a legitmate cost at least up here its a real expense you would not have if you didn't have the claim. If you got a good insurance company you can also ask them to send a company claims adjustor not hired storm troopers.

09-20-2008, 11:28 PM	#70
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	As of yesterday, the power was still out at the houses in El Lago. We're hoping to hear something positive today but have no real reason to expect that the lights will be on at our house yet. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

09-21-2008, 07:28 PM	#71
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Day 11 of this adventure: Still no power at the house. Darn. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

09-21-2008, 10:25 PM	#72
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	I found some amusement in looking on the Centerpoint Energy site to find out when they expect to restore power to my neighborhood. The map that shows when they expect to have the lights back on also shows Ike's path. Power Restoration Plan Superimposed on Google Map It looks like the eye of the storm passed within four miles of my home (marked by the star). From all I've heard, the only effect was having some tree limbs down; and, of course, knocking out the power lines. The bad news is that the power restoration map shows that they don't expect to get the lights back on at my place until "after Thursday, September 25, 2008." Darn. Rats. Dirty socks. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

09-23-2008, 12:24 AM	#73
kimmyfrmtx Rising Sun Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 16	Greg, are you in contact with someone in El Lago that says your power is not on? According to that map I don't have power either, but I do. Interesting thing about that map, looks like the eye went right over or very close to my house. I was already extremely grateful I only got minor damage, but now even more so! My neighbor stayed for the storm. He says NEVER AGAIN! The water kept rising & rising, he said he grabbed his cordless saw and headed for the attic! He said he is going to beat me out next time.

09-23-2008, 03:12 AM	#74
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Kimmy, yes. Today I talked to my boss, who told me that my next-door neighbors are without power. Golly, yeah; it a cat 3 hurricane is heading for Galveston, it has you squarely in its sights! I wouldn't worry so much about a small cat 1 because the storm surge is pretty wimpy but anything bigger than that is not something to be toyed with. As soon as I get back, I'll look around to see if Ike left any of your stuff in my yard! __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

09-23-2008, 11:54 PM	#75
Crystal Addicted Anjafan Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 160	Greg do you know when you get to go home yet?

09-24-2008, 01:24 AM	#76
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Maybe as early as Thursday. I suggested that if we can find out that the power is on at the house, we could head back tomorrow, but Melva said it's too late tonight to get all our stuff all packed up. Since she is the keeper of the beasties, she's the boss. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

09-24-2008, 12:19 PM	#77
kimmyfrmtx Rising Sun Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 16	I hope you get to go home soon, there really is no place like home. Reminds me of a Mastercard commercial; Evacuating from Hurricane Ike: $500 Flood Damage $5200 Being Home Again: Priceless

09-24-2008, 12:49 PM	#78
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Indeed! I just want to go home! Just add the complication of wanting to move into my own home on top of that! The good news is that they are ahead of schedule. Last night's update to the power restoration map shows Taylor Lake, El Lago, and Seabrook with 0-20% of customers without power. (Zero is good in this case.) That means my challenge for today is to get the fambly motivated to hit the road by tomorrow. We can't know for sure whether we are part of the 0% or part of the 20% until we get there and turn on the breakers. Even better: The long-weather weather forecast indicates that 90-degree weather is done for this year. That should help with the mold and mildew that has probably been getting a foothold in both houses while the power was out. __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

09-25-2008, 01:57 AM	#79
Greg Da Guy Wut Owns Dis Joint Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 3,566	Trivial update: We now have eyewitness reports that the the lights are on at our next-door neighbors' houses, so we can head on home tomorrow with high confidence that the house will be inhabitable when we get there! Hooray! __________________ Who are all these people and what do they know?

09-25-2008, 03:18 PM	#80
kimmyfrmtx Rising Sun Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 16	So glad to hear it. Have a safe trip.