And now what did you do TODAY?

[shellylh]

Sorry Larry, that really really sucks.

[agile_one]

Flooding is major suckage, Larry.  Glad everyone is ok.  Guess you'll be rethinking design of those basement windows, eh?  Must have been quite the running battle while the rains fell, and fell, and kept on falling ...

[n_maher]

Larry,

 

Sorry to hear about the trouble and glad that you and the family are ok.  You should definitely speak with your homeowners insurance people as rain coming in a window is different from flooding, in my experience.  You might be able to make a semantic argument with them about the damage in the basement.  I'd at least give it a try and not assume that you're screwed just yet.  This is based on my experience with the massive hail storm that we had in NH 7 years ago. 

[jpelg]

You should definitely speak with your homeowners insurance people as rain coming in a window is different from flooding, in my experience.  You might be able to make a semantic argument with them about the damage in the basement.  I'd at least give it a try and not assume that you're screwed just yet.  This is based on my experience with the massive hail storm that we had in NH 7 years ago. 

^This.

 

If you know a good, trustworthy insurance adjuster to fight on your behalf with your insurance company, it may mean the difference between getting paid and not.

[Pars]

Sorry to hear Larry.

 

We don't live in a floodplain, but our basement got 1'-2' of water in it in the mid '90s due to 17" of rain in less than 24 hours. Our homeowners insurance kicked in (no special flood insurance), and we even got somewhat of a check from FEMA since the area was declared a disaster area. Had to haul all kinds of crap to the curb, and yes, it sucked. But no one died or was injured.

 

Probably not smart of me to wade around in the basement with a refrigerator plugged in (power on at that point) and submerged

Edited September 13, 2013 by Pars

[Aimless1]

Larry,

 

Sorry to hear about the trouble and glad that you and the family are ok.  You should definitely speak with your homeowners insurance people as rain coming in a window is different from flooding, in my experience.  You might be able to make a semantic argument with them about the damage in the basement.  I'd at least give it a try and not assume that you're screwed just yet.  This is based on my experience with the massive hail storm that we had in NH 7 years ago. 

 

No harm in trying but homeowner policies do not typically cover water that enters the home from outside, flood or otherwise.  Many have added coverage for water/sewage that backs up through the drain or due to sump pump failure and there may be coverage that way.

[n_maher]

No harm in trying but homeowner policies do not typically cover water that enters the home from outside, flood or otherwise.  Many have added coverage for water/sewage that backs up through the drain or due to sump pump failure and there may be coverage that way.

 

The line that I was given, when we had hail break screens and windows was that if a storm event caused damage to the building envelope that allowed water to enter that it would be a valid, non-flood related claim.  If I was Larry I would say that wind driven rain entered the basement through the windown resulting in damage to the walls and floors.

 

Insurance companies have all sorts of little loop holes like this that they sometimes will tell you about and sometimes won't depending on who you are talking to.  Example - a few years ago my wife struck and object in the road that came off of the back of a truck in front of her destroying two wheels and two tires.  Per my agent, if the object was on the ground when she hit it it would not be covered unless we paid our deductible (the collision portion of our policy) but if it was in the air when she struck it it would be fully covererd by our comprehensive policy with no deductible.  So of course I said it was in the air.  The agent lead me to say this and I thanked him for his advice but had I been speaking with someone less interested in helping me the situation could have ended much differently and I would have never been the wiser.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Sorry to hear about your place, Larry.  Crazy year Colorado has been having.

 

I'm glad to hear that everyone is safe, and that you got gear out of the way in time.  Less glad to hear about looming repair bills.

 

The 2 kids off at school -- any of them in school in CO?  They both alright?

 

The two girls are off at school.  Ben was here to help, and was so tired that he missed the first hour of school today.

 

That sucks Larry but at least you were able to rescue the gear and have the money to be able to fix everything.

 

I'm not sure if it's common practice or never done but I would think an automatic sump pump in that window well is a good investment in the future.

 

I actually borrowed a portable sump pump from the neighbor, but it didn't work.  Our buried home sump pump kicked the circuit breaker last night and we think that's part of why the water didn't drain out of the window well.  I didn't realize that had happened, until we checked the pump again about an hour after the 1st time we checked.  We got it turned back on after the sand bags and wadding were in place, and the alarm and pump came back online and the window well did drain much faster.  I still think we'll have to re-grade the ground at the back of the house, and add a sump pump to the window well just in case.

 

Flooding is major suckage, Larry.  Glad everyone is ok.  Guess you'll be rethinking design of those basement windows, eh?  Must have been quite the running battle while the rains fell, and fell, and kept on falling ...

 

It was terrifying that it was filling up faster than we could fill buckets and dump them out.  We could have used a garden hose as a siphon and it wouldn't have been a fat enough pipe.  Meanwhile it hasn't stopped raining yet = Non-stop, or at least we assume so because it was pouring down when we went to bed at 3AM and still going when we got up at 7AM.

 

Larry,

 

Sorry to hear about the trouble and glad that you and the family are ok.  You should definitely speak with your homeowners insurance people as rain coming in a window is different from flooding, in my experience.  You might be able to make a semantic argument with them about the damage in the basement.  I'd at least give it a try and not assume that you're screwed just yet.  This is based on my experience with the massive hail storm that we had in NH 7 years ago. 

 

I called the insurance company this AM, and my agent will check on this for me.  But she thinks that water from the outside isn't covered and water from inside like a broken pipe is covered.  I need to call her back about the sump pump circuit breaker kicking in.  My neighbor discovered it when we went to check the sump pump.  So I do have a witness about that happening, as well as the text message that power was interrupted.

 

Sorry to hear Larry.

 

We don't live in a floodplain, but our basement got 1'-2' of water in it in the mid '90s due to 17" of rain in less than 24 hours. Our homeowners insurance kicked in (no special flood insurance), and we even got somewhat of a check from FEMA since the area was declared a disaster area. Had to haul all kinds of crap to the curb, and yes, it sucked. But no one died or was injured.

 

Probably not smart of me to wade around in the basement with a refrigerator plugged in (power on at that point) and submerged

 

Before I left to buy sandbags I unplugged everything from the wall, and my neighbor came over to evacuate the basement.  We can see that the one AC socket next to the window did spark after getting wet.  So it could have been dangerous with power still on.  I know that El Paso County is a declared federal disaster area, but our block may not be included because we're up high on the mountain, although at the bottom of the mountain had bad flooding.

 

No harm in trying but homeowner policies do not typically cover water that enters the home from outside, flood or otherwise.  Many have added coverage for water/sewage that backs up through the drain or due to sump pump failure and there may be coverage that way.

 

Thanks - because of this I did call the insurance company back to report the above sump pump failure.

 

PS:  THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE SUPPORT.  I know things could have been much worse.  

 

I shudder to think if the water had made it everywhere - I have 6,000 patient medical records and tons of medical books sitting on the floor on the opposite far end of the basement, and all our camping gear, and a bazillion boxes from things we bought that we saved and would have turned to mush.  The PS3, PS2, and apple TV were only 1" off the ground, and we got those out along with all the headphone gear.  The cable box, DVD, and AVR were only 12" off the ground.  So mostly it would have just been a royal pain in the ass.  As it is, just hooking everything back up will be a pain, but not insurmountable.  Except I'm too sore to move now, after all the sandbagging and shoveling.

Edited September 13, 2013 by HeadphoneAddict

[shellylh]

At some point today, the ball of my foot starting hurting. Now it hurts to walk on it. Fuck, I really don't need another injury; I was just starting to get over the other two. I also have no clue how it happened. I hope it is temporary.

[Dusty Chalk]

Hope so, too, Shelly.

[skullguise]

Good luck Shelly; hopefully just a raw nerve or something....fingers (toes?) crossed

[Absorbine_Sr]

I get occasional pain in the toes and balls of my feet. I figure it's gout as that runs in the family. Alfalfa pills have provided some relief for me. Without the pills a bout may last 10-15 days, with the pills, 2-5 days. Not sure if this will help Shelly, but I figured it couldn't hurt.

[n_maher]

Gout?

[shellylh]

One of my thoughts/worries was arthritis (namely psoratic arthritis) since I have psoriasis on my toe nails. Gettin arthritis at my age on the feet would really suck.

Looking up gout... don't want that either. There is no redness that I can see so I am guessing it isn't gout.

My guess is metatarsalgia. I have been doing more jumping/runnng for PT lately. I used to have pain on the ball of one foot, years ago when I played volleyball (10 years ago) but I don't remember if it is the same as before and I think it was on the other foot.

[Knuckledragger]

This past weekend cost my my laptop (logic board failure), my phone (tumbled down a flight of stairs) and my car (rusted through so badly on the inside that they mechanic won't let me drive it for fear of liability).  AAPL is repairing the laptop free of charge, I have a backup (shitty) phone, but I'm more or less proper fucked on the car.

 

I live alone, in the woods, most of my relatives are dead or live far away, and the bus schedule is lousy. The next few weeks are going to be a continual kick in the bollocks.

[Grahame]

Sorry to hear your stuff situation sucks, Nucks', But Remember ....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrdEMERq8MA 

[Salt Peanuts]

That sucks, Knucks.

Today, I got a voicemail from hand surgeon's office telling me they had a cancellation, so if I want, I could come in today (as opposed to waiting until end of November). Unfortunately, I didn't get the call/voicemail until it was too late since I work in an ancient Faraday cage of a building.

Edited September 18, 2013 by Salt Peanuts

[agile_one]

Sorry for your foot, Shelly. Hope it clears up fast, and is not a chronic thing.

Bad mojo for car, Knucks. Hope you find another reasonably.

Becky and I met Nate for lunch today in Kittery at great tex-mex place. Great to spend time with a good friend.

[skullguise]

Sorry to hear about the car Dan....hope some solution comes soon, and easy.

 

Gene, what was the Tex-Mex in Kittery?  Loco Coco?  Had several folks recommend that......

[Voltron]

One of my thoughts/worries was arthritis (namely psoratic arthritis) since I have psoriasis on my toe nails. Gettin arthritis at my age on the feet would really suck.

Looking up gout... don't want that either. There is no redness that I can see so I am guessing it isn't gout.

My guess is metatarsalgia. I have been doing more jumping/runnng for PT lately. I used to have pain on the ball of one foot, years ago when I played volleyball (10 years ago) but I don't remember if it is the same as before and I think it was on the other foot.

 

Have you looked up plantar fasciitis, Shelly?  I had a little bout with that and better shoes solved it.

[shellylh]

^Just looked it up and it doesn't seem to be the problem I am having.  My foot is feeling a bit better today (and my calf is no longer hurting since I am walking more normally).   I've been icing, resting and taking ibuprofen.  I think it should be better after a week.  I just wish knew what caused it.  

 

Also, sorry Knucks!

Edited September 18, 2013 by shellylh

[n_maher]

Becky and I met Nate for lunch today in Kittery at great tex-mex place. Great to spend time with a good friend.

This was, without a doubt, the highlight of my day. Great to see you, Gene, and to meet your lovely wife.

Todd, yes it was Locos and IMHO is not to be missed if you're in Kittery in looking for a casual lunch or dinner.

[Dreadhead]

Sorry Knucks. I hope things are looking up soon and you're able to replace the car with something more safe soon.

[Dusty Chalk]

Medical equipment field maintenance is a lucrative if highly specialized field.

[ironbut]

^Just looked it up and it doesn't seem to be the problem I am having.  My foot is feeling a bit better today (and my calf is no longer hurting since I am walking more normally).   I've been icing, resting and taking ibuprofen.  I think it should be better after a week.  I just wish knew what caused it.  

 

 

Not gout than.

Gout is usually associated with toes but can be  in just about any joint. The cold makes it worse and folks that have it usually have flair ups in the winter when their feet get cold.

It can be extremely painful to the point that even the weight of a blanket can cause a high levels of pain.

The pain/swelling/redness is caused by uric acid crystals forming in the joint but no one know exactly why those crystals form.

Use of some medications and dietary habits seem to be associated with it but nothing is conclusive that I know of.

 

I had it pretty bad a decade or so ago. It just went away thank god!