Most know I live in Indiana, right near Highland. Anyone whom has been watching the news, we had 6 houses collapse today and last night due to extreme flooding.

My home, first and basement floor is entirely under water- so I will be staying with a friend until things can be sorted-
The next few days will be spent packing items and salvaging what I can - and for obvious reasons of such chaos I will be unable to be very quick with emails.

If anyone has any issues here that need resolve right away please contact either Seth, Combisthebest or TJ of course-
and bear with any delayed email contacts- and with sparatic checking in.

I have 2 trades pending, with 2 members here, I have written you privately, but if I have forgotten anyone, you will be taken care of, I promise. Neither trade was large, but I hate being late on even the smallest of trades.


For anyone else, who has a trade with anyone else in my area of Indiana, PLEASE take this situation into consideration. I know of 3 others traders in my area- that are all in the sae (no pun intended) boat.

Here is more information - I'll update as I can, email when I can- and take any support or prayers you have. There is a lot of damage, for a lot of us.
And its still raining.


http://www.nwitimes.com/articles/2006/09/13/updates/breaking_news/d6061d7828741f47862571e80062fd1d.txt

Omigosh, Kim, good luck! Prayers are definitely with you, as well as positive thoughts and hopes for a safe return to your home. At all costs, stay safe. And while I know recording takes a major back seat to survival, let us know if there's anything you need backup recording while you're displaced.

take care and stay safe Kim, looks like a scary situation :(

This is so devastating to hear. Take care & stay safe. You'll be in my prayers.

Kim, taking care of yourself is the priority here, don't worry about us.

My prayers are with you and yours.

Take care,


J

Damn sorry to hear that.. hope you dont lose anything valuable. Does this mean you will miss the first episodes of Webster since you wont be around to record them??

Take care, Kim & stay safe! I'm also so sorry to hear your home is flooded. I hope it doesn't get any worse.

Yes, are prayers are with you.

Harvey

My prayers are with you Kim...I know all about high water. Just get in touch when you can.

Keep dry and safe Kim! We'll have our fingers crossed that everything will be okay!

Kevin (Padre)

Stay safe and healthy Kim, we will miss you here. I hope the damage is salvageable. My prayers are also with you and your family (Chinchilla,cats and fishies).

Take Care
J

:eek: My prayers are with you and all others under water in Indiana!!

Take care of your KITTIES!!!!!!!!!!!


:cat: :cat: :cat: :cat: :cat:

if there is anything i can do at all to help
please let me know
and ill keep u in my thoughts and prayers

Good luck savage, I hope things get better real fast for you

I have been on the phone with Kim and it's really quite bad. Her basement has 3 feet, yes three feet of water. Tile and Carpet she just purchased has been completely destroyed, the house is a disaster. She thought she was covered and then found out that she didn't have flood insurance, just covered for water seepage. Sometimes there is a rainbow at the end of the clouds.4 homes in her area were completely destroyed, there were three deaths, so the Federal government declared it a disaster and the hope is she will now get reimbursed.

With all of this she is still worried about the board and prays we all get along. I took a nap at the nursing home so I'm in good spirits and Lamont made nice, nice to his sheep so he should be quiet.

Harvey

I guess it could have been worse, but at least she's OK. That's what really matters. The Federal disaster declaration will open up federal money for grants and low interest loans. Tell Kim I said hi and that I'm thinking about her..

That's awful. I'm glad to here she's physically okay, but it's terrible to hear about the damage to her home. You're in my thoughts and prayers, Kim.

I have been on the phone with Kim and it's really quite bad. Her basement has 3 feet, yes three feet of water. Tile and Carpet she just purchased has been completely destroyed, the house is a disaster. She thought she was covered and then found out that she didn't have flood insurance, just covered for water seepage. Sometimes there is a rainbow at the end of the clouds.4 homes in her area were completely destroyed, there were three deaths, so the Federal government declared it a disaster and the hope is she will now get reimbursed.

With all of this she is still worried about the board and prays we all get along. I took a nap at the nursing home so I'm in good spirits and Lamont made nice, nice to his sheep so he should be quiet.

Harvey

Send her my best Harv

It's a horrible shame but as long as she has her health and her pets are safe, everything else is secondary. I look forward to her bouncing back, we all know she will

I guess it could have been worse, but at least she's OK. That's what really matters. The Federal disaster declaration will open up federal money for grants and low interest loans. Tell Kim I said hi and that I'm thinking about her..

Besides grants and loans don't the Federal government pay disaster relief.

Harvey

Besides grants and loans don't the Federal government pay disaster relief.

Harvey

There will likely be other programs set up for emergency relief, such as through FEMA. FEMA is usually the first to provide aid, but they were criticized badly along the gulf south after Katrina for the speed at which they operated. Maybe they have gotten their act together. There will be aid available though. In Louisiana there is "The Road Home" program which provides grants up to $150K for people to rebuild. What you receive depends on lots as factors such as insurance you had. This is all Federal money, and the program is administered through the state

hope every thing is ok..let us know if we can help''

Checking in for the day-

I need SOME kind of normalcy.

Its really really really depressing. The words "Structural security" were mentioned today, due to the size and ap of the concrete-
everything has been pumped out- but amazingly water still keeps ocming in-
From the ground, through the teras in the concrete, and the areas in the wlal that gave away.

Several have emailed me- thank you- and if anyone has any personal experience and wants to lend it- I am all ears.

I have 2 things I want to ask- 1


The bottom shelf of about 6 bookcases got wet
and the bottom 3 of about 3 others.

What do yo udo in cases of tapes- air dry? etc.

I had already made up and had ready, just not addressed a package to harvey and lamont, those went out today.
I am aware I had 2 pending trades, in case that email got lost- I hpoe it gets read here.

My second issue, is machines.

Do yo utoss a machine out that got wet? Is there any exception.

I have been circling the web, while I have time- and things are a little overwhelming so I have 2 people coming t help me tear out and throw things out- because as some know I have medical issues, and wet/mold creating surfaces is realy really detrimental to my health.

So while I am salvaging- if anyone has any infomration on machines-

Speakers-
Dvd player, VCR
One PC, it was completely submerged- can the hardrive /mother board be taken out for memory sake or do lose all of that

And then the earlier- tapes- are they gone fo rgood and so on.

It ins't my largest concern, but yeah I am a die hard trader/collector and I want to tenativley know what I am out, and or what is just garbage.

So any advice is appreciated.

Thank you to all who have emailed me, sent e-cards and support.
Its true I am pretyt upset and really really distraught, and I might be able to get some government help- sorting through that-

I keep telling myself I am lucky I was safe, and the house held up under the water pressure.
Its good to log on here and have a thread of support- makes it more bearable- thank you.

That is crazy Kim! I'm praying for you and sending good thoughts your way. I don't email you for about two days and I come back to this! What a shock. I'm so sorry and I know you had just mentioned how you put in that floor in your basement. However, I'm glad that you are safe and have your health. God bless you!

I'm sorry that happened to you. I hope and pray your situation will improve soon.

One PC, it was completely submerged- can the hardrive /mother board be taken out for memory sake or do lose all of that


Kim, the motherboard may be salvageable, you just need to dry it very well. Same thing goes for the memory chips. The best thing you can do is dry them out, clean them up with a cloth (no cleaning fluid) and try them out.

The hard drive may be another matter all together. They are 'sealed' but not completely, so some water may sneak into the HDA and corrupt the environment. There's no real good way to test it other than turning it on. Let them dry for a while (or use a hairdryer at a good distance), and connect them up....just get ready with the circuit breaker or use a power strip.

Sorry to hear about your situation Kim, I hope everything turns out OK. Keep us updated on how things are going


Solomon

Kim. I'll tell you a few things from first hand experience. Believe it or not, most of the VHS tapes will work once they dry out. Dry the outside case as much as you can with a towel. Let them sit upright on a towel or paper towels as long as you can. Put them in a place where they won't get knocked over. Check the towel periodlcally since it may need to be changed out for a dry one. About drywall/sheetrock. Whatever got wet needs to come out. Drywall comes in 4' x 8' sheets, so you need to cut it out at the 4 foot line. That way, it will fit right in upon replacement, then taping, floating and texturing. There are lots of self-help guides online that will help you when it is time to do that. Email me if I can help you in anyway. I've been through this, so I know a few things about what you can do. Take care.

P.S. Let me know if you sent that last package out yet, so I can be on the lookout for it. I'm going to hold your stuff until you are ready for it. Just let me know.

A couple more things I thought of. The quicker the sheetrock comes out the better, because it will start to mold, which causes problems of its own. Make sure all of your studs (whatever got wet) are treated with a biocide and completely dry before you put in new sheetrock. Some people use bleach on their studs, but that is not sufficient.

So far- the worst of this is trying to get everything OUT

the flooring, the carpet everything is SO heavy. And smells SO bad.


Thanks for the suggestions and slight areas of hope - here and in my emails

Normally I am pretty optimisitc, but the one thing with flooding is its so cold and so wet, and just so...dismil.

I feel slightly better, Flood Insurance wouldn't have covered this either.
Because they are deeming the house "unstructurally sound"
isn't that nice.

So even if I had had flood insurance, my neighbors Do and got a form letter stating that at least 2 other people in a range of 4 bocks have to file.
And from what I hear, in this area 3 peopel filing for lfood insurance in 4 block radius is pretty slim.
And, how would you know?

So somehing seems rather fishy with that- but I have bigger issues to deal with.

I have friends coming in, and over all tonight, this weekend to get everything OUT
and then comes the real tragedy- throwing literalyl thsouands of dollars away.

So keep the advice coming-

T-Greg you said Biocide?
is that the name of it, can I get it at a hardware store-
and aside form wood- can I put it on all surfaces- as I am concerened about my health.
(and no your package didn't go out yet) will try to get right on that

Kim. Biocide is what is in it. The stuff I used is called BoraCare. It comes in a one gallon bottle and you mix it with warm water and spray it on your studs. It's expensive. It's about $125 for a gallon, but you can do about a whole house with it when you dilute it..somthing like 8 parts water to 1 of BoraCare. It stops mold, draws moisture from the wood, kills termites, etc. See the link:

http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/spec/pick-boracare1.htm

I'm sending you an email with my cell number if you need to call me about anything.

I feel slightly better, Flood Insurance wouldn't have covered this either.
Because they are deeming the house "unstructurally sound"
isn't that nice.

So even if I had had flood insurance, my neighbors Do and got a form letter stating that at least 2 other people in a range of 4 bocks have to file.
And from what I hear, in this area 3 peopel filing for lfood insurance in 4 block radius is pretty slim.
And, how would you know?

So somehing seems rather fishy with that- but I have bigger issues to deal with.



How can they call your home "Structurally Unsound"?
When my folks got home insurance, someone from the Ins. Company came out and inspected the house. If it was "Structurally Unsound" then they should not have insured you.

They're just trying to screw you.

And on the 2nd part... What does your problem have to do with anyone else's problem in a 4 block radius?

That's a bunch of crap too.

God forbid, If your house burned down, Does 2 other people's homes have to burn before they will pay the claim??

God, I hate Insurance Companies

How can they call your home "Structurally Unsound"?
When my folks got home insurance, someone from the Ins. Company came out and inspected the house. If it was "Structurally Unsound" then they should not have insured you.

They're just trying to screw you.

And on the 2nd part... What does your problem have to do with anyone else's problem in a 4 block radius?

That's a bunch of crap too.

God forbid, If your house burned down, Does 2 other people's homes have to burn before they will pay the claim??

God, I hate Insurance Companies

I think what she meant was it's structurally unsound now, because of the flood water. Kim. You need to go over your homeowner's policy to see if there in an exclusion for that. In any case, file a claim with your insurance company. If they deny coverage, or lowball you, get a lawyer. There will be plenty of them looking for clients after this. Trust me!

I feel for you, Kim.
I had a my water heater burst in my 2 bedroom apt a few years ago and it flooded our apt completely.

The shut off switch was outside and the handle was broken so we couldn't turn it off.

Luckily, we didn't have alot of stuff on the floor.
It only came up about 3-6 inches. Nowhere near 3 feet.

You seem to be handling this way better than I would be.
I hope everything works out good for you.

i hope everthing is going to ok with your house.

SHAME ON YOU :nonono:

Her situation is nothing short of tragic, and your selfishness has made me ashamed to share a board with you.

Kim has been there for many of us in our time of need, and it angers me that someone from here could treat her in such a way.

Rest assured Kim, the rest of us are here for you.


J

it wasnt me. i was only kidding when i asked here..didnt know it was as bad as it is til after i said that.

Stay safe, keep your chin up and don't believe what the insurance companies tell you. Question everything they say and get 2nd, 3rd and 4th opinions. They will lie to you to get you to go away. Every claim they deter is more money in their pocket.

My deepest condolences Kim and apologies for the late posting. I cannot begin to imagine all you must be going thru. I hope you have people helping you out and giving you all the support you need both physical and emotional). I also hope the government will kick in with some kind of compensation for this sort of thing happening.I am amazed with all you are going thru that you are still somehow watching out here on the board and trying to maintain peace here, as this has to be the very least of your worries at the present time. This kind of disaster should put priorities into perspective for people and make them realize just what is important in life - with lives and homes being lost.... people keeping peace on this site should be a given no-brainer......thank God Kim, that you are okay. I pray all works out well for you and that you and your loved ones keep safe and healthy.

Damn sorry to hear that.. hope you dont lose anything valuable. Does this mean you will miss the first episodes of Webster since you wont be around to record them??


is this the time or place for that?


Webster is covered.


Thanks for the words of kindness. Hammond finally coughed up some vouchers for Home DEpot to get cleaning supplies and items you need for clean up.

There is some light at the end of the drain apparently.

Hammond finally coughed up some vouchers for Home DEpot to get cleaning supplies and items you need for clean up.

There is some light at the end of the drain apparently.

Glad to hear that, just make sure to give them a good slap on the back to keep them coughing!

J

Kim, you may want to re-read your homeowners policy. Most only have exclusions for being in a flood plane or zone. Make them deny the claim in writing! You will need this if you need to pursue legal action or federal relief. Please, don't take a verbal denial. Insurance companies are notorious for that BS!

About wet video tapes or audio tapes, do not attempt to dry them on your own. The tapes need to be baked and recovered ASAP. It will cost money, but it's better than total loss. There are services that specialize in flood recovery.

Your hard drives also need special recovery.

The other computer hardware mostly needs to dry off, some of the smaller items must be trashed. Be sure to unseat the CPU, dry it with non-static cloth. Throw away any system fans, those are dead. Buy new fans, they run about $5-$10 apiece. The CPU will need a heatsink/fan combo, about $20 for a copper one, and then re-attached it with proper thermal compound. Also unseat the RAM and clean it. And then toss the power supply, grab a new one for about $50 or so. The PCI cards in the motherboard, unseat those too, let them dry in air. Clean off any yucky slime or residue with rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) and q-tips. Throw away all IDE/floppy ribbon cables, buy new ones. The case should be fine. With the new power supply, you should get a new electric cable. Printers are trashed, both laser and inkjet.

All floppy drives and optical drives (CD/DVD) are probably dead. You can attempt to clean them, but they are all touchy technology.

CD-DVD needs to be copied to new media ASAP. The glues on the side are typically strong, but the bonds have been weakened. Cheaper discs probably have water seepage, and you'll see rainbowing in the dyes.

TV sets, toasters, etc ...... I would be very careful. After they have dried for a while, plug them into an extension cord and then wear a rubber glove, and plug the extension into the wall. If they start to act crazy after being plugged in, you can yank the extension from the wall with the gloved hand. Most of them should be fine. Tube TVs and LCDs may be ruined, it depends.

Wood furniture warps really easy, so attempt to brace them and keep them flat for a number of weeks.

VCRs will need a good cleaning. DVD recorders are a lot like computers. Dry everything and pray. Again, hard drives and optical drives to contend with.

If I missed anything, let me know.

Good luck. I hate to hear this happened to you.

Thanks LS, I printed all that out - a few others emialed me suggestions as well, keep em' coming

Marcus, Oh I am NOT letting the insurance company off with a form letter-

I do not believe that I paid for insurance every month, for nothing.

I do'nt care how, but they need to cover something.
But I will say this regardless after this si done thye lost my busienss just on sheer poor customer support.
They were rude, almost annoyed at y questions.
When I asked them about my policy they told me refer to your policy, refer to it- I told them that my office was flooded, I needed a new copy
and they informed me I had to PAY 15.00 for it.
I was disgusted.

I still am.

I scattered charcoal and baking soda everywhere to try to get a handle on the smell
But its raining now- and I am having an anxiety attack!

You can call your state insurance commissioner's office if they refuse to answer your questions and give you the run around. It definitely can bring pressure to bear.

Well, so the final verdict came in-
Had a lawyer look into it, with the aid of another insurance rep

And when you read this letter, I did NOT alter the guys name for humor sake. its copied in directly. Minus the company name.



Dear Policy Holder --- (not even my name)


As we recently concluded a complete investigation into your policy, we regret to inform you you do not have coverage for this water damage.
Based on our findings there is no coverage for this loss under your Home Owner Policy.
The applicable portion excludes this type of loss- If you had read your policy you would have noted this below subparagraph:

1: We do not insure for loss caused directly or indirectly by any type of the floowing, Such loss is exlcuded regardless of any other cause or event contirbuting concurrently or in any sequence to the loss

c: water damage, meaning
1)water, flood, surface, waves, tidal, overvlowing of a body of water, or a spray from any of these. Including, driven by wind.
2)Water which backs up through sewars drains or which overflow from a sump pump
3)Water below the surface, such as ground, swimming pool, foundation, driveway, sidewalk or builing.


I encourage you again to refer to your copy of the policy for complete details

Liberty Mutual Does not intent to waive any policy provisions and reserves the right to assert additional policy defenses at any time.


Thank you for insuring with ********. We appreciate your business

Sincerely,
Ken Putz
Sr Property Loss Specialist

putz indeed...

I am so sorry Kim!

Please let me know if there is anything I can do. But I don't know much about insurance or law.

Jenny

That really sucks, big time!

As Jenny said, if there's anything we can do let us know.

There's enough of us here, surely we must be able to do something. :confused:


J

This statement is rather arrogant--

"If you had read your policy you would have noted this below subparagraph:"

Just think. Those form denials went out to every homeowner that made a claim. The presumption is that they sell policies to people that have no idea what they are paying for. It's like "how dare you make a claim against us for this". What a pompous bunch of a-holes!

Actually you wanna know the kicker

On the other side, it says

"Please note your October Balance has been charged an additional 12.00 for the providing of an additional policy as only one per annual year is provided"

Yeah - beucsae my DEN got damaged and my POLICY GOT WET
they can't help me and they are kicking me after saying hey sorry your house got destryed, and oh by the way these 5 sheets of paper were charging you for that too.


I dunno- its stuns me-

i wish there was something you all could do....maybe eventually I can get help form the community to replace some of the things I lost in small trades-
But for the most part, its such a huge ordeal I can't even orgnaize exactly how to go about rebuilding right now.

But, you have all been so kind- with tips, and cards, advie and jsut BEING here. - a joke here, a comment there. It really, makes me thankful for this community and makes me feel privledged to be part of it.

Actually you wanna know the kicker

On the other side, it says

"Please note your October Balance has been charged an additional 12.00 for the providing of an additional policy as only one per annual year is provided"

Yeah - beucsae my DEN got damaged and my POLICY GOT WET
they can't help me and they are kicking me after saying hey sorry your house got destryed, and oh by the way these 5 sheets of paper were charging you for that too.


I dunno- its stuns me-

i wish there was something you all could do....maybe eventually I can get help form the community to replace some of the things I lost in small trades-
But for the most part, its such a huge ordeal I can't even orgnaize exactly how to go about rebuilding right now.

But, you have all been so kind- with tips, and cards, advie and jsut BEING here. - a joke here, a comment there. It really, makes me thankful for this community and makes me feel privledged to be part of it.

I think you should send the details to as many local newspapers as you can and try and get as much negative publicity for the company as possible.

Have you lost a great deal financially?

J

Financially----the biggest problem is the foundation- has problems leaks nad tears due to the water/pressure and expansion.

The estiamtes of repair are mind boggling and past the ten thousand mark.

Drywall/carpet/Flooring-
about 3500.00 And that was all installed or put in by me, in the last year.

4 bookcases collapsed-

Couch/Loveseat/chair/coffee table- they were submerged in septic/sewage- so those are gone

About 400 vhs tapes, that were on the bottom shelves- also submerged in septic/sewage.
Most columbia house sets- that I had, figures of course

And then 1 tv, and the console beneathe it held a psx 2, vcr/dvd combo, receiver and 2 speakers/1 subwoofer

I don't wnat to tally it all up.

On the other side, one wardrobe bag of winter coats/clothing/shoes
One wardobe of extra linens /pillows
All absorbed water/sewage like a wick-
So all that was actually thrown out.

Again i don't wnat to tally

And then there is the factor of, having to have things filled/cleaned professioanlly- the HVAC system needs to be sanitsized from it being used while this was going on, and carrying mold/mildew /bacteria into the duct system.


Over all, pretty bad.
And add that 12.00 for the policy to be sent as well.


The city payed for the dumpster for the majority to be thrown out.
100.00 voucher for cleaning supplies (im very grateful for that)
and the red corss came and isnpected nad gave 100.00 for immediate clothing/a new jacket as we are getting into cold weather.

So far, that is about it. But I am sure it added up on the cities part so I have no complaint with them.

I am not worried about the "STUFF" I am worried about securing the property- as fall brings rain
And now the house is vulnarable and has damage from this. SO My worry is prevention at this point. Water/ Rain, Snow- its all coming.

Kim. Besides help from FEMA, Red Cross, etc., you should also get with an accountant at year end (or earlier) to go over your taxes. You will be able to write off losses and apply against your tax liability. A CPA will know how to best apply it. You can go back a few years by amending your taxes and have losses applied to those years thereby reducing your tax liability. You can also apply this to future years as well. It makes more sense to apply it to years when you had the greatest tax liability. Whether the IRS does more is up to Bush and Congress. In the meantime, you should keep records of everything that was destroyed and it's fair market value. These figures will come in handy when you prepare taxes, etc. Photos help as well. Just remember it's better to document everything. Good luck. Email me if you have any specific questions and I'll do my best to answer them.