Water, water everywhere . . .

Post by **Dale** » Thu May 25, 2006 7:13 am

What a story. It must be hard to tell. It's a privilege to receive.

Dale

P.S. Oh, by the way, you're a hero.

fearfaoin · Post by **fearfaoin** » Thu May 25, 2006 7:23 am

I admire you for your handling of this hardship!

I woke up to an inch of water in my apartment from a loose
pipe in the dishwasher, and I lost it. I can't imagine the amount
of water you describe.

I may have missed it in your story, but what specifically caused
this particular flood? There were so many hurricanes that year
I can't keep track of which disaster was which...

izzarina · Post by **izzarina** » Thu May 25, 2006 7:29 am

Oh my goodness, Herbi! I don't know if I could have handled it as well as you did. In fact, I know I wouldn't have. And yet you took the time to help others in need despite your injuries and shock over what was going on. My hat is off to you, and I hope that you can gain back some semblance of normal very soon.

jsluder · Post by **jsluder** » Thu May 25, 2006 8:55 am

herbivore12 wrote:And I've learned a good lesson about what's important (if anyone's wondering, just stand in rapidly-rising water and see what you act to save first . . .).

I'm sorry for your troubles, and I'm glad you and your pets made it through okay.

Oh, and Dale's right, y'know... you are a hero.

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Thu May 25, 2006 9:10 am

jsluder wrote:
Oh, and Dale's right, y'know... you are a hero.

Absolutely right of course. But, you know, like others lucky enough to know herbi behind the scenes, I passed over that a bit because I simply wouldn't have expected anything less.

The Weekenders · Post by **The Weekenders** » Thu May 25, 2006 9:39 am

So sorry, herbi. I am glad you told us about it rather than just take it alone. I wish I could help.

I have a story from the same storm while pales by comparison but fwiw: my offices were flooded and I returned to work to find a lot of water on the floor. The custodial crew sucked up the water, pulled up the carpets, ran HEPA filters for days and days. All the while we put out our newspaper on schedule. On Jan. 16, right after we finished putting the paper to bed, our boss called a quick meeting. We were instructed to go home immediately. Our office was filled with Stachybotras mold (the report had just come back) and my personal little room where I work was about 10 times higher than the rest of the office. I had been workin in that stuff for a coupla weeks, with a HEPA filter on, the heater running full blast, and all the windows open. As the building was going to be eventually replaced, we won't go back. We are all stuck in a single room, a former cafeteria, and we are being moved into trailers this summer, for three f-in years, while the residents argue about a new building.

A million stories from that flood.

I hate getting philosophical but you must be due for a few good turns after all that craaaaap. Your foot damage bothered me the most. Without two good wheels, it's hard to face everything else....

Very best wishes.

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Thu May 25, 2006 9:44 am

Boy, I sure feel lucky right now!

You told your story so well. All the little details you put in made it seem very real. I just can't imagine water coming in the house silently----that is a very, very strange idea to me---and hearing your cat splash in it as your first inkling that something was wrong. I'm not sure how well I'm going to sleep in the future

. I still get the shivers when I think of your toe! And that woman you helped must have been so relieved to see you.

I hope, as someone else said, that all your bad luck has been used up now. Surely it should be! I hope the rest of your recovery goes smoothly. I know I wouldn't have handled it as well. And I'm so glad your pets made it okay!

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Thu May 25, 2006 9:47 am

Aye yi yi. That's all. Glad you're ok.

herbivore12 · Post by **herbivore12** » Thu May 25, 2006 10:09 am

First, enough with the hero bit. Once everyone was awake, several of us were carting people out of their houses, and lots of neighbors opened their homes to we who were displaced. I'd never even met the family that let me use their home for the rest of that day, but they took me and several others in with no compunctions. And once our homes were mucked out (didn't take long in my case, since mostly everything just had to be discarded), everyone helped neighbors with their houses, too. Anyone want to guess how much a queen-sized futon mattress weighs after soaking in a flooded basement for a couple days (I helped a neighbor remove one)? No, it's heavier than that. Lord. I think, in times of disaster, most people's instinct is to do whatever they can to help, once their own safety is assured.

Let's see if I can get all the questions answered:

--The flood was caused by a combination of the incessant rain for weeks, and then a ginormous storm hitting to cap it off (we got something like 8 inches of rain in just a few hours), which was the straw that sent the camel to its knees. There's a creek uphill from me that crested over its banks, and since water flows downhill, well . . .

--I just moved back in to the place a few weeks back; this is supposedly a freak 100-year thing, but I'm seriously considering moving before winter comes again. Because that totally sucked. I may have to move soon, anyway, if a job doesn't come through. Landlords want their rent money, turns out.

--The bike appears to be okay, after a thorough cleaning and oiling.

--That's a "Native American" frame drum that I made as a teenager, djm, not a bodhran. I would never! But yeah, the pipes hurt. They were an old set I bought from a lady whose husband had played them (he'd passed away some time before).

--The foot's fine now, just sort of ugly. I walked like half a penguin for a while, but now I'm back to my bear-like shuffling.

--Weekenders, sorry about the office and subsequent mold problems. It's been a problem over here, too. Lots of industrial fans and dehumidifiers running for weeks and weeks. And those of us who spent a lot of time wading through the water wound up with skin infections, too, from whatever scary stuff lives in floodwater. Rashes that turned into pus-filled wounds; you could tell who'd been affected because they were always slapping their legs, trying to avoid scratching. I've become inured to construction noise, too, now, since about half the houses here are still being repaired or raised 4 - 6 feet above their current height. Strange to see all these houses up on jacks. I hope the trailers aren't too bad for you! And are air-conditioned.

There are some videos from the downtown area on the town's website. On this one, taken after the flood had receded a bit later in the morning, my house is about four blocks upstream from the buildings visible at the furthest end of the main street, there. It gives a good example of the power of these things, though, and you can see why we had to carry kids, instead of letting them try to walk out on their own. It was like someone just laid a river right over town, one night.

Thanks for the kind words, all. As you say, it does make for good dinner-party chit-chat, this experience.

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu May 25, 2006 11:26 am

Wow! That video really conveys a sense of the power of the flood sweeping through town. I would have liked a body or something floating by, just to give a sense of scale.

djm

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu May 25, 2006 12:25 pm

Nothing like pics to help give an idea of things. Yours was a tale told with good humor, I might add, Herbi.

What's a 3/4 cat? Just two regulators?

Bloomfield · Post by **Bloomfield** » Thu May 25, 2006 12:29 pm

Nanohedron wrote:Nothing like pics to help give an idea of things. Yours was a tale told with good humor, I might add, Herbi.

What's a 3/4 cat? Just two regulators?

Or half a penguin, for that matter.

You're the man, herbivore, and my hat's off to you.

herbivore12 · Post by **herbivore12** » Thu May 25, 2006 12:30 pm

Nanohedron wrote:
What's a 3/4 cat? Just two regulators?

Three legs, almost no tail. She was hit by a car as a kitten, and I guess no one wanted to adopt an incomplete cat, and my vet knows I'm a soft touch, so . . .

She does sort of sound like regulators, when you kick her just right.

Post by **Nanohedron** » Thu May 25, 2006 5:52 pm

She's not incomplete. She's condensed.

SteveShaw · Post by **SteveShaw** » Thu May 25, 2006 6:05 pm

herbivore12 wrote:
Nanohedron wrote:
What's a 3/4 cat? Just two regulators?
Three legs, almost no tail. She was hit by a car as a kitten, and I guess no one wanted to adopt an incomplete cat, and my vet knows I'm a soft touch, so . . .

I have a cat like that. Chucked out of a moving car when she was a kitten, run over by the car behind. Lost her tail (not any of her legs thank goodness). When I first saw her I just didn't want to know, but the vet thrust her into my hands and she immediately snuggled into my beard and we had a major cuddle. What could I do! I've had her 16 years now and she's the most affectionate beast on the planet. Here she is again. Toots is the name!