Im so sorry to hear all these stories, Im sending big hugs to all of you, from Mexico city, I send my best wishes, and hoping your get your life back at some point.
I did get lucky we were able to get into the house and got upstairs and salvaged clothes and toys for daughter and some clothes for me and my wife were saved. We're going to be OK. It won't be fun while we deal with all of this, but we're going to survive. It will just be expensive obviously. I've already cancelled all of the utilities to the house and cable. I'm trying to lower my expenses now while I figure out long term housing solutions. We are living with family right now but that's not a viable answer for a year+ or whatever it takes to get insurance to step in, the house to be condemned or whatever is going to happen. Mortgage still has to get paid! By the way, I'm very thankful for all the thoughts expressed here. I'm not looking for anything from anyone, just more venting here because it's hard to do it in the real world.
No problem with venting. The least we can do here is provide you an outlet to vent. I might've missed this but is the water out of your house now? If so your house is definitely salvageable if it was just flooded for a few days.
Our home flooded too in Westbury. The water crept in from every corner and just kept rising. Contrary to what we were told, we hung out in the attic until the sun came out and then came out. The roof was too dangerous at the time. I had my axe with me though. We haven't felt sorry for ourselves at all. So many have it way worse, losing loved ones. It was a terrifying experience but we were just so happy to be out and safe. We don't feel like we are alone in this. We were rescued by boat by strangers and given a ride to get to family by strangers. They wanted nothing in return. I don't even have the words to describe the support we have received from family, friends and complete strangers. It has meant everything to us. People were lining up to help out. Even friends of friends that I have never even met. We had so many people yesterday at the house that we were able to also help out our elderly neighbors who were trying to do it themselves. We are so lucky to live in a city like this. The spotlight was on Houston and we have shown the world the real meaning of selflessness. If any of you were helping out, thank you so much....... I've kinda been an emotional wreck during this whole thing.
hopefully you have kids' and old family photos in a cloud or elsewhere......that's the one thing i'd truly be upset about losing. most everything else can be replaced, and let's face it we all probably possess too much stuff or at least more than we really need. and going by your posts here, i have no doubt you'll bounce back even better than before. in the meantime, we're here to gladly absorb any venting!
Check with your mortgage company, I got an email from mine (Cenlar) that you could apply for forbearance for a minimum of 3 months. Very sorry to hear about your home but glad you are safe!
Double-check with them that interest will still accrue. Basically they are allowing you to miss payments without penalty, but interest still builds. Helpful, but not as nice as you initially think. My neighbors are wanting to sue the city municipalities responsible for the release as we were not given advanced notice that our neighborhood would be under water. As a real estate attorney myself, I see those prospects as grim, but an option on the table. The only way in to my home right now is through a boat. Neighbors have said an official told them it would be at least another week before waters go down. I am afraid the lingering water levels will total my home. I am fortunate that I have flood insurance -- but the cap on that is $250K. Building a new home will be $450K+, in addition to dealing with shady contractors, high supply costs with crazy demand, etc. FEMA offers low interest SBA loans, which in theory is great -- but myself, including several other families already have mortgages. Adding a second mortgage for 200k+ is going to be a huge financial strain and perhaps not even feasible to most people. This is a nightmare. Several of my friends and family have offered their assistance, but I'm not the type to want to accept or ask for help. There are families in Houston without flood insurance, who perhaps lost more than I did -- I would prefer they benefit from assistance before we do. The only thing I ask is everyone help their neighbors. If you weren't affected by the flood, go to neighborhoods that were and help them clean up once water recedes. I've never experienced flooding before and am very naive as to the cleanup process, so having several people help tear out sheet rock and remove totaled items would be a huge help.
Similar situation LTF. Water will sit in the homes for weeks. What does cleanup from that even look like?
I've never thought about it, but I have no idea what a concrete slab does when it's underwater for that long. You'd think it has to sink or shift or something not good, but I dunno. You're good people, hell you're all good people, keep your head up, and once you (and all the other clutchfans in your situation) get situated somewhat, let us know what we can do. Don't worry about the house right now, take care of yourself and your family.
Ripping out sheetrock above the water level, removing carpet, furniture, etc -- basically anything wet needs to be removed from the house so that fans, A/C, open doors, etc. can help dry it out. I have seen different suggestions -- (a) take pics of everything you throw away for the adjuster; or (b) don't throw anything away so the adjuster can see it. I don't know which is correct and both very well might be depending on the adjuster. I don't remember if I saw on CF or FB, but someone recommended opening your attic door as attics are supposed to help get rid of moisture in the house. My fear, from what I read, is sitting water will affect the foundation, joists, beams, etc. Most websites list the above remediation as being needed within 24-48 hours after flooding -- well if I can't get in my house for 7-10 days after it floods, is it even worth it? There are several flood mediation companies who will come out to dry out the house and charge you a pretty penny -- but why would I spend this money if the outcome is my house needs to be razed? I don't even know who to contact before they come out to help determine that. I've already called a company and gotten in line, but I'd like to try to find someone to help me determine if my house is salvageable before I give them thousands of dollars for a pointless job.
There will be enough people in your situation that the info will become readily and plentifully available pretty soon. Katrina had to teach folks a lot of long-term flooding lessons too. Hang in there. You're at just about the worst point, like being sick without a diagnosis. Soon enough a plan will come together, and even if it isn't fun, just having a path will bring relief.
This is my basic question. By some miracle it looks like I could potentially get in there and use pumps beginning tomorrow or Sunday and get water out which is shocking. After being told 6 weeks to 3 months it now might just be 5-7 days. It's also a LOT of water so it's a ton of work to get drywall cut out and stuff. So what do I do? I'm waiting to hear from my adjuster. A remediation service will cost somewhere around 10-15 grand it sounds like, and I don't get whether that is covered by the flood policy and if so is it part of the limits of my policy I get?
Have you been in contact with your neighbors? Mine started a FB group after Harvey hit for just our section. It's been helpful in trying to consolidate information and a common plan/message. I would expect most of your neighbors to be returning to their homes and going through the same repairs at the same time you do. It might make sense for your neighbors to form groups that go house to house to expedite the process for one another. In times like this, we need to be able to rely on our neighbors. I have the standard FEMA flood insurance. $250k for building, $100k for personal items. I need to verify that I have both and not one or the other, but I believe it to be both. I believe each policy of mine comes with a $12,500 deductible. So even a $15k water remediation bill -- I'm footing basically the entire thing.
I would have thought the biggest issue with flooding would be mold / mildew. I know in other parts of the country people's basements flood all the time. Does the water really damage the foundation and structural sports?
If it stands for too long it will weaken the structure yes. Fungal spores grow in the wood. Lots of homes in Katrina were condemned
I've been doing cleanup for 4 days straight now, will be going out again today and pretty much everyday for the foreseeable future helping neighbors. Would be happy to answer any questions you have about what you need to do.
