ravencajun Zone 8b TX

We are getting lots of rain again. Earlier it was a massive storm that had wind so strong it was rocking the rv pretty good

*****

I swear, you're going to be reporting on a swarm of locusts next!

Bless you and hang in there.

mimipadv

I swear, you're going to be reporting on a swarm of locusts next!

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That's next week when the mosquitoes show up. They say everything is bigger in Texas and they aren't kidding. The mosquitoes here are the largest I've ever seen.

Wow, I must say, I haven't kept up with this thread as much as I should have. Raven, I sure hope you and your hubby are okay and can get extra help to clean up the house and yard. My heart goes out to you, and any other Texans affected.

Well he let me go into the house. He has done an amazing job. He wet vacuumed all the standing water and swept most of the mud out. The carpet is saturated so nothing done there yet. But it was safe enough for me to come in and get in my chair. I didn't get to any of the bedrooms. We lost the big ge profile fridge and freezer in the kitchen and all the food in it. The veggies in it and a few things I saved but all the freezer food is in the trash. The other fridge freezer is good and luckily I had the good stuff in that freezer, all my shrimp and seafood and stuff from Louisiana and my venison sausage! That's awesome. I have the rv fridge and freezer full. I sent a basket of food to my neighbor.

My elderly neighbor is doing OK so far. But she is alone trying to clean up. I told her where to find workers and if she needs me to I can help her find someone. I think some of the other neighbors that didn't get water are going to help her too.

About those locusts lol there are big piles of dead June bugs in the house dead no idea where they came from. But one wall outside the house was black with June bugs alive. So I guess they were trying to find places to survive. Very strange. And the biggest earth worms we have ever seen so big we thought they were snakes at first. Jasdip I thought of you! Want me to ship them to you lol.

We are very lucky to have both vehicles safe and sound. So many lost their cars.

They are still rescuing lots and lots of people, in some areas the water is over 5 ft.

A little good news to report! My elderly neighbor has a nephew that builds houses not far from here. He called her after he heard what happened and said don't do a thing. He and his entire crew are coming Saturday and will do everything that needs to be done till it's finished.

I have good news too our guys are coming in the morning to rip out the carpet. And I found out one of my neighbors has a construction and remodeling company, I have helped them out with stuff in the past. He is on his way over to take pictures and do thermal images of the water in the walls to fully document everything for us. And he can do the work we need. He is bringing over big dehumidifiers now to start drying out the house.

And the SUN IS SHINING! (For now)

That sounds more than a 'little' good news. Things are going to turn your way again, just you wait and see. I'm happy for your neighbor with the nephew too. When we had our storm 2007, we could have gotten out of town on about the evening of the second day with our 4-wh truck, but there were the older neighbors. It didn't feel right leaving them in the dark, no power, heat etc (December). So we stayed, and all stuck it out, shared...

Have you heard if your city will do a pickup of damaged things later in the week, get those wet and ruined items out of the way?

Oh, Raven. So glad that you and hubby are okay. The water has been brutal to y'all. Hang in there!

Responding to Raven's email to me... I'm checking in... I've been busy taking care of my neighbors. This is my first time turning on the computer since the storm started.

Raven, sorry to hear you were among the worst. As for me, I'm among the luckier ones. I have very little water seeped through the front part of the house (2 bedrooms & dining room). My home is quite distant from Cypress Creek fortunately.

Since our street is slanted, my next door neighbor's home on 1 side was dried, not flooded at all. However, the other next door neighbor's home was flooded badly. They had a disabled son and were worried for him. In the middle of the storm night, they rushed over & took refuge at my house (3 generations, 7 of them). We too were fortunate to have power, it flashed a few times but never went out. My home was very cluttered, and no bedrooms (storage) were available for my neighbors to lay down, I was only able to give little comfort. Yet they made me realized that it was still much better than their home. They were very appreciative and the kids had fun while here. It took the stress out for awhile until the day after.

All along, I was afraid of sewage back up as I heard it normally happens when there's flood. The water receded and the sun came out so, I thought the danger of sewage back up was over. Wrong! Almost midnight, we had sewage back up so, all of us had to move to a hotel. (It was too late at night to move into our friends or relatives.) We were fortunate once again to be able to find a few rooms for all of us to take refuge. All hotels & motels in this area were booked heavily. We had to make several calls to find one that still have rooms available.

The next day, we all went our separate ways to take refuge elsewhere. I went over to my sister's home. Before going there, I stopped by my home and the floor dried all out, no more sewage back up but the house stank badly.

Today, I was back, clean out the home as much as I possibly could, enough so the smell wouldn't be as bad. Being in the wheelchair, my home is more accommodated than my sister's. So, I've decided to stay at my home.

Most of my home is Saltillo tiles floor including the dining room so, that was easy to clean. The 2 bedrooms with wet carpets have too much stuff (actually, 1 is a craft room and the other is an office/storage room). I'm unable to clear the room by myself all at once in order to remove the carpet. So, I just have to live with damp & smelly carpets for now. Friends had offer to help but for the rest of today, I need a lot of rest. Too stressed out.

Raven, if I feel as stressed out, I can't imagine how you 2 are dealing with the worse. I've been reading your posts, my hat's off to you both. Take good care and don't get yourselves sick by stress and overwork.

To everyone else, so you'd have a better picture/understanding. This unexpected storm only dump the rain over 1/4 of the Houston & surrounding areas. It dumped 10"-16" of rain with constant heavy rain & hail over a period of 8 hours. That's why almost the entire N/NW of Houston were heavily affected. It was not the same as Allison when the storm affected the whole Houston & surrounding areas. Yet, some of us, feel very fortunate to either not had gotten flooded or had very little water into our homes.

That is good news and I hope your luck keeps moving in the right direction. While it's still a big fat mess, from the sounds of it, it could have been much worse. Let's just hope the rain stays clear!

Raven, what's the latest update on conditions out there?

Unfortunately right now it's raining again. We sure are sick of the rain. They keep saying that it should end soon but yet here it is again. My husband has been cleaning in the house since early this morning and he just came out to tell me he has our master bath shower cleaned up and bleached so it's use able now which is good because we don't want to fill up the rv tanks. And luckily our bathrooms are functioning properly. Which means that the septic system is good. I was very worried about that. Our big, new, outdoor ac unit is not working, it's for the majority of the house. The smaller one for the office and sunroom started right up. They both had water about half way up them. My ac guy lives across the street, he came and checked it yesterday and said he thinks he has the part on his truck so I am hoping it's easily fixable. We need them On right now to help dry out the house. I used some of the items saved from the fridge and made us a very tasty and comforting chicken and vegetables and noodles soup last night. We have not been eating well the past few days so it was just what we needed. I gave my neighbor a bunch of food, she said they too had a great meal from my food last night. Glad some was salvaged. Today we are supposed to have guys coming to work but they have not shown up yet. Just sitting here listening to the rain...GGood to hear from you too NTT!

Oh great it is major storms again and severe hail! It's beating us up bad. I am praying so hard we don't lose power. I don't know what is going on with this weather. Oh my God I think it will bust out the windows. Let it stop!

Praying for you Raven and Ntt. Stay strong.

I'm so sorry for your misery, Raven. Like satine said, stay strong!

Words can't say how sorry I feel for you and this terrible weather event. I can't imagine what you all are going thru. What is so ironic is we are so desperate for rain since we are parched up here with virtually no rain in March and April and hot temps for this time of the year. Good vibes that soon the sun will come out and start drying things out for you.

Wow, hail too??? I hope your husband can have a little rest today--maybe you can just wait a day then get back to it?

Ntt--I hate to see you having to live in a house where the sewage has backed up. Are there any accommodations for your situation set up by the Red Cross? This is all so awful and I'm as sorry as I can be for you all.

I feel so bad for all of you.I am happy to hear you and others have help tho. I don't like our high heat, but it is nothing compaired to what others are dealing with. paryers and hugs .

I hope the rain stays out of your houses so you can move forward.

The rain is starting to taper off a bit here. Not sure how much we got. DH says he didn't empty the rain gauge yesterday. It shows almost 1.25 inches. I had just taken my trash out and ended up hauling it back in. My neighbors had trash cans blowing over and making a mess. That wind was pretty stiff. I don't think we had hail. The sky was pretty ominous. My dh said the radar looked pretty bad towards Hempstead.

My kids are out of school today and tomorrow even though our immediate area and assigned schools are ok. There are some families, teachers, bus drivers, janitors, etc., living in the more impacted areas. I hope the school district can declare this an act of God and not make us make it up. The kids have missed five days in a row and it will impact a lot. I think we could reasonably make up two days if needed, but that's it.

Pretty much every home that has water in it has the sewage issue which is why it's so dangerous to be in that water. The septic systems have water over them so in many cases that is virtually flushing all the contents out into the water and up the drains into the bathtubs and toilets which over flow into the house. So every single thing that water touched has to be either thrown out or sterilized in bleach water. Personally I will be throwing a lot away. Some clothes can be bleached but not everything. People were swimming in the water and they started warning not to do that. My neighbors dog was playing in the water in her back yard and drank some and the next day she was sick. I mean think of all the nasty stuff that is out on the ground that is now in that water including animal feces. I don't like my husband walking in it but when he had to he had to. He cut his hand and I warned him to keep a close watch on the cut. I cleaned it up good with alcohol and betadine and put a bandage on it. So far it's looking OK. Things we really must keep in mind when in this mess. We survived the hail! Still raining some but not hard. Boy that wind and hail was scary.

I know y'all are probably sick of hearing from me about this but it's helpful for me. I don't have anyone here to talk to. I am in the rv alone. And at least communication with you is something.

You are an important part of this community, as are we all. This is what the KT is for, to listen to each other.

Hopefully the rain will stop today. It is raining here and has been on and off for days but so far no flooding. My heart goes out to you, and in many ways the hardest part, recovering, is still in front of you.

Are you kidding?? We're grateful you're posting, Raven. Is your dh back in the house, cleaning? I'm so, so sorry for everything you're going through. Thanks very much for your updates.

Keep on posting your updates. We want to hear from you.

Even though Raven and I are in the same part of town, the weather acts differently. This morning in my neck of the wood, we just got moderate rainfall. I could hear thunder from afar but not as loud as to what Raven described in her area. I didn't get hail neither. The rain had long stopped. This is why it's good to hear/read from Raven's posts. So Raven, please keep posting. Even I, would like to know.

Sjerin, the sewage back up happened only 1 night and that was the night I moved into a nearby motel. I guess they cleared the main sewage line (county line?) the next day because when I came to check my home, all was cleared & dried out except for the lingering odor. There seemed to be no clogging up for now. I've been using the restrooms, took a shower, washed the laundry and see no sewage water coming up/out. Otherwise, no, I wouldn't want to put up with sewage back up neither.

I cleaned the floors & bathrooms with disinfect solution but the odor still lingered on. So, here's what I did to remove the odor. To deodorize, I sprayed the air with a 50/50 vinegar & water solution. Then on the 2nd round, I sprayed the air with a 70/30 rubbing alcohol (91%)/water solution to disinfect the air. It's amazing, no more odor. I always have these already mixed up in spray bottles for cleaning so, that was very convenient when needing them.

Well, the next few days I'll be busy cleaning up my mess too. So forgive me if I don't update my status regularly.

I have been using the vinegar spray too. And I have some odor ban from Costco which kills every thing including viruses and all bacteria. We will need to get more. Our crew is kicking butt, they have almost all of the carpet out of the house. They know what they are doing. Thank goodness at least one of the air conditioning is working because it is hot and stinky in there. Getting the wet carpet out will make a huge difference. Then we can disinfect. Yes my husband is in there with them. The contractor came by to see the house and tell us some things to do like keep track of every cent we spend on the clean up. All the furniture is splitting where the water was. All cabinets and vanities. My husband's laptop some how fell into the water. It's amazing how much the stuff moved around. I have big Rubbermaid bins I put stuff in, they floated around knocking stuff down. I never thought of that. Every thing in my sewing room in plastic bins fell over. The foot controls for my machines were under water. I realize after the fact how much I didn't think of. Learning the hard way.

Checking back in to see how you're doing. Sounds terrible.

What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger. So they say. I doubt that sometimes though.

Raven, you know this is THE place to unload! Even if all we can do is lend an ear (eye), we're good for *something*.

I'm amazed that you've been able to get good, honest help so fast. That's a big relief. (Ntt, too!)

Great idea about keeping track of expenses, Raven. Remember that unreimbursed expenses may be an IRS deduction. Lists, pictures, receipts, I'm sure the contractor explained it well but more is always better.

Raven, I'm so very sorry you're having to go thru this horrible ordeal. We live on the East side of Houston and have been flooded 3 times, each one a total disaster. You might know this, but thought I'd mention it in case you don't, Home Owners insurance won't cover rising water damage, you have to have flood insurance which comes from the Federal level.

Hoping that you have that and that y'all come out of this soon.... One day at a time is all you can do right now. Praying for you every day.

Gale_TX

We don't mind your updates, Raven. Often people lack a human connection with these events and how miserable and complicated they can be. They just get some coverage on TV, and it's something we know is happening "over there." It's difficult for many of us to even imagine what a flood would be like.

Certainly no one here is enjoying your misery, but we all can learn and offer moral support and feel sadness at what you are experiencing. You seem to be going forward in a calm, intelligent fashion. Carry on. Sending you a hug.

I keep checking back for updates from you too and "want" to hear what all is happening. I keep praying for your rain to stop completely.

I am just so sorry this has happened to you. I do believe your insurance company will pay for the cost of clean up as well as the damage. I think you should look into it before you exhaust yourself

Thanks for the continuing support! Gale, I will gladly take any advice anyone has to give. I have not been through a flood. We went through hurricanes when I was young. I didn't have to do the clean up. Fortunately we do have flood insurance through fema, we were required to have it to buy the house because it's in the 100 year flood plain. Of course almost all of Houston is low ground. I hope the insurance will cover and pay for the structure damage. I know ours does not cover contents so we are on our own there. All the doors in the house are wood and every one has to be replaced they swole up and won't close and are splitting. All of my dressers are wood and the drawers are swollen shut and breaking apart. My antique bedroom set that has been handed down to me is damaged I pray we can salvage it. My grandfather's extremely old banjo that had a beautiful art work panel on the back is in pieces. I was helping them go through stuff but I just couldn't stand it, I told them if it's saturated throw it away. Probably 30 pair of shoes for me and at least that many of his. Guess that means shoe shopping! The rain has stopped and the sun is out again. The roof is literally smoking with evaporation.

By the way my wonderful crew that is doing all this work is my gardener and tree guy, his entire family is here including his wife and adult sons. They are awesome people who have helped us and my neighbors often. They are hard workers and don't stop. They know I have always taken care of them well financially. I trust them in my home which is important. I hugged her today and told her she was saving my life. She asked if she could have some of the silk flowers that weren't damaged, I said yes you can have anything you want lol.

Raven, I believe that all of our flood insurance premiums and coverage in this area is set by FEMA and paid through our insurances. It sounded like you have the Standard Flood coverage. If so, are you sure that it doesn't covered for personal properties? Because I know mine does, it covers for both structure and personal properties. What it does not cover is additional living expenses such as hotel, food, fuel, etc. during the home repair.

I talked to my insurance agent that I have the fema flood insurance through and they told me my policy does not cover contents. That's what I am going by.

That really sucks Ravencajun. I feel so bad for you and your husband. Glad you have good help, people who care. Keep us posted.

I had a reply all typed up yesterday, and the computer shut down on me. I have had you, NTT, and so many others that I know in TX, in my thoughts and prayers. I am not on KT as much as I used to be, because it bothers my eyes to read here, but I think about all of you all the time. Please, please, keep us updated on everything! I can't even imagine going thru something like this. I am so glad you have good people to help you. And your elderly neighbor, also. Prayers will continue.

So sorry to hear that your belongings won't be covered. I hope that you can salvage the bedroom set. My heart just goes out for you in this very stressful time.

I have the same insurance that ntt has, it used to be that they gave you different levels to choose from, but now it's one standard policy thru National Flood Insurance...... Mine also covers contents and structural damage... I pray that your insurance agent is confused... Prayers continue for you.

I think it is worth calling FEMA directly to check on what your policy covers

1 (800) 621-3362

http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/1449522308118-6752c210f65aed326a9ddf4a0ddaca1f/F-122_Dwelling_SFIP_102015.pdf

https://www.floodsmart.gov/floodsmart/pages/residential_coverage/whats_covered.jsp

I've been reading through this, this is terrible! Most all of my family live in the Houston area but no one has flooded, thank goodness!

I can't believe that your insurance doesn't cover your contents! That's terrible! Sorry this is happening to you! :(

Apparently from what I have been reading, it takes a second added policy for contents. I am calling fema today to make sure. We had just told our state Farm agent to get us the flood insurance and went with that.

It's a beautiful day here today the sun is shining which is very helpful for drying out the ground. The work continues! I might try my washer and dryer today I have so much to wash! I am praying they work. Now I wish I had bought the darn pedestals for them.

I will be in the house today. All my kitchen stuff in the lower section of thecabinets and drawers must be but in bleach water then washed. I am getting a big Rubbermaid bin and filling with bleach water putting stuff in, let it soak, the wash. I have not tried my brand new dishwasher yet either.

Raven, if your insurance still claim that you don't have content coverage, maybe, you can file your lost through FEMA after all? I heard on the news that our area has been approved for disastrous assistance from FEMA. Don't forget to take picture of your lost items for FEMA.

I'm passing this information onto my neighbor as well. For years, she was renting the home. She only had renter's insurance which did not cover contents damaged by flood. She lost everything and now, no place to stay. Her landlord (home owner) broke the lease and won't be fixing up that home anytime soon. (I think, he wants to do it himself next time he can fly back here on a holiday.) Now, they can't move back. I feel so bad for them. I really like the family as my neighbor. Not sure what kind of neighbor I will get next.

Thanks everyone for your thoughts, concerns and prayers. They're much appreciated!

Raven, my flood insurance is all in 1 policy. When renewing the policy, the only choices I was given were a higher or lower coverage. Both covered structure & content. That was for the Standard policy.

I just spoke with the fema claim people who checked my policy and said definitely my policy does not cover contents. Not sure why or how that works but apparently there are different levels of coverage. My husband was the one that had our SF agent get us flood insurance at the time we were closing on the house because we had to have it. We will definitely reevaluate that and see what better options we have. If we are replacing every thing we own I want it all covered in case it happens again. The appliances are covered, the heat and air is covered which is good because our brand new big AC unit is not working. In trying to open the bottom drawers on the dressers the wood was swollen and the drawers fell apart. So every piece of furniture in my bedrooms has to be replaced. I am hoping the beds can be saved especially the antiques. I am now in the we are getting rid of baggage mind set and I wanted to go more minimal anyway. One thing I learned and will pass along. Using big Rubbermaid bins doesn't necessarily mean your stuff is safe! They float even full and when they float they fall over on their sides and water pours into them because they are not water tight. I had several bins of fabric in the sewing room stacked up. The tower fell over and everything in them was soaked. I chose to throw it out. Fabric could be washed but I have so much good stuff to wash I just can't see having the time before it starts to mold. I now have a very cleared out sewing room.

Oh raven! I am so sorry to hear this.

I understand. The day before our flood, I put it all in the detached garage so the house would be uncluttered for the realtors' pictures (believe it or not, I was putting the house on the market the following day). When it came time to go in the garage and get it all back out, all I got out was our two bikes (mine and the kid's), and shut the door. Expensive power tools, a bed, a cabinet, the dining room table set, I could go on and on. I never went in again. I couldn't handle smelling the muddy, mucky, mold. It was my breaking point.

I can see why you threw out the fabric. It's gonna be an "adventure" to start over, but you'll have to finish the hard part of deciding not to do what is hard to do. (((raven)))

Take pictures and keep records of what you are throwing out. You might put it all in a pile and have a salvage company make you an offer. Let them have it and keep the receipt to show that you have a record of salvaged value. (Deduct the salvaged value from your claim value). Make notes of your efforts to put stuff in containers, and attempts to dry out stuff that wasn't totally destroyed.

https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc515.html

I posted a new thread. I don't even know what to say. My husband's youngest brother was killed this morning at his work in Oklahoma. Details in the other thread. I just don't know anymore I just don't know one month after their mother