Deety
Head Coach
If you know anyone who flooded, especially without insurance, here's some key points I was either told or wish I had been, in no particular order. Tell them to get the FEMA reports in ASAP so they can apply for SBA loans. And to take pictures of everything that gets thrown out, not just for insurance or taxes but also because it's easier than wondering later if something needs to be replaced or if it's around somewhere (I'm going to drive myself crazy for years looking for things that may or may not have been trashed). And to be careful about the folks who come up in vans from New Orleans as experts in flood cleanup, if they go that far - my neighborhood has not had great stories. And to look up how to sort trash on the lawn for FEMA removal from the start rather than do it afterward. And to check in with local churches to see who might be willing to help get the wet stuff out as quickly as possible. My quotes from cleaning services were $10k-15k, which did not include removing any personal belongings or any rebuild, just pulling out carpet and drywall and spraying. Not worth it if you don't have insurance.
Down here, Lowe's gave (and is still giving) flood discounts, but you have to talk to the Pro desk. They managed 10-20% off on most items, though it may differ by store - I think they basically gave contractor rates. Appliances less so, but wait for 35% off - Lowe's and Home Depot alternate sales, it seems. Most local stores have been great about offering discounts.
If possible, try to take a minute to measure cabinets, vanities, and other key items before throwing them out to make it easy to know what will work later. It may change in the rebuild, but it is good to have. Oh, and try to save as much as you can of the tops, faucets, etc. Even if you can't use them, you can donate them. Some of my neighbors were able to get granite restored after it had been underwater for several days.
Use Shockwave liberally (with utmost caution) on the studs and floors as soon as the wet stuff is out to stop the mold. That's some good stuff. Bleach does not work for mold; it will come back. I've been using Mediclean Germicidal Cleaner Concentrate for furniture I'm still hoping to salvage and other objects. Bought a fogger to use once we're clean to get rid of any spores people have tracked in, but if floods threaten again, I am using it as soon as the risk becomes serious to prevent mold from taking hold in the first place. Tried an ozone machine overnight between cleanings, which does little to kill mold on surfaces but will help with the air quality so long as you set it to finish at least an hour before entering. We couldn't enter the neighborhood for nearly a week; hopefully folks around there can start cleanup sooner.
Oh, and to WEAR TALL BOOTS and full gear during the mud out - all sorts of nasties get washed up from all sorts of places, and some of them can kill you if they get in a cut.
Oh, and sweep the driveways for screws and nails every darn day, and choose your path around the neighborhood carefully. Tires are a pain to replace... replace... and replace. Guess how I know.
Finally, settle in because it isn't a quick process. Six months later, maybe half of my 150 flooded neighbors are back in, and only a few are completely done with construction. A couple of them sold dirt cheap after the cleanup but without rebuilding - in some cases, weighing the cost of the rebuild and six months of doing nothing but running from working at the job to working at the house, deciding to sell rather than rebuild may not be the worst idea.
If you are going to give to flood relief, I recommend calling local churches to see if they are sending volunteers and help there. We've seen all sorts of flood fundraisers around here, but none of my neighbors have heard from any of those organizations and nobody knows if they've actually helped anyone. It's been all church groups helping, though some of them do so by getting help from other groups.
Edit - BOOK MODE ACTIVATED. Sheesh, sorry, lol.
Upvote
0
