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Sorry for the lack of updates to my latest story 'Necessity is the Mother of Invention' for the past few weeks. Many of you know that I live close the Mississippi River, normally about 100 yards from the water's edge, that distance has become much less over the past few weeks. So much less that I became the proud owner of an indoor pool in my basement, yes my water heater and furnace got a good washing after the water began seeping up through cracks in the basement floor to a depth of almost 3 feet.
Also with all the road closures and detours the trip to and from work has more than doubled. Needless to say it's been a whole lot of fun around here lately!
Here's a link to a 6 minute video of one of the levees breaking in downtown Davenport, about 6 blocks from my office.
http://click1.email.qctimes.com/bbqvdfqqcqsyzpgdyjlffyzctzym...
Comments
Basement flooding
Ouch! Hope you will be able to salvage your furnace and water heater or at least insurance will cover the replacements. Hope the tide goes put soon. Does Acme make sump pumps?
Yikes. Not good.
I live in Ottawa, Canada. Two years ago the Ottawa River set new record highs in what was called a once-in-a-century occurrence. Apparently we are now in a different century because the river is even higher at the moment. A friend of mine lives near the river and and has two sump pumps doing their best. Unlike two years ago when the never actually had to use one.
Hmm. Most of my family lives
Hmm. Most of my family lives in McLaren's landing, NW of Ottawa, and none of them have mentioned seeing anything unusual.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Flooded Equipment not fun
We realized most people "up north" have basements when we worked up in Detroit and relatives in Ill. My question is, your weep lines and sump pump didn't handle the problem? Is it too late to tell your home builder he messed up? No sump? You didn't have a skimmer pump with a puddle sucker obviously?
I wish you a successful recovery getting dried out again. Wish you weren't so far away.
always,
Barb
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
Sump pump
Th one sump pump couldn't handle the amount of water coming in. Had to give it the assistance of a borrowed high volume pump as the water was already knee deep when I noticed it.
Nothing was lost but time as I've lived too long on and around islands and boats and truly believe SHIT is an acronym for 'Store High In Transit' and I never leave anything important on or near the floor. The water heater and furnace (Gas appliances) worked fine once dried out and re-lit.
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
In their defense...where
In their defense...where would it all go if it's completely surrounded by several feet of water? Pumps can only handle so much, but when there's literally nowhere for the water to go it won't do much good except buy a few minutes to get valuables and perishables out of the water.
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
That sucks.
That sucks.
People here in the Boston area are whining about having rain for much of the past two weeks...I laughed at them over it, considering that it's been a very dry winter despite some severe snow storms. Then knowing that someone I respect is facing flooding it makes their complaints almost pathetic as there are millions who are in serious trouble over the rain and floodwaters!
I hope relief comes soon because I don't want your plight to turn into the next political football and your fellow townsfolk's suffering turned into propaganda for someone trying to unseat the sitting state representative, senator, or US representative or senator.
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
Flooding...
In my relative area there is a lady that went back home to see how it was. She did not think about about looking into the basement, as she was kayaking into the living room.
The city, the province and the federal really mess that one up as it was avoidable.!
Good luck, my heart to you and your community.
Peace and Love tmf
Well, on the grounds of
Well, on the grounds of misery loves company - my FIL died Good Friday. My wife and her brothers spent a week+ emptying out most of the garbage from his house - in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. We're in Houston (she finally got back home, after 13 days away on her 4 day trip). So, there's a decent chance that at a minimum, the basement is flooded, and a not insubstantial chance that the house is flooded.
And noone is up there to check.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
thats why you don't have basements in Houston.
We tend not to have basements for that reason in Houston, you did down a few meters and you hit the water table here.
But in the area where there are hills they do have underground structures. One guy built a nuclear fallout bunker into a hill a little further north-west. Now it has been turned into a server farm.
And to be fair the Mississippi River has reach flood levels not seen in almost 150 years. I hope the water damage is not hitting the bank account breaking level.
"Cortana is watching you!"
flood levels
Actually the Mississippi river reached flood levels never before seen in Davenport. water level at 22.7 feet (Several inches higher than the 'great flood of 93') and over 40 days now with the river out of its banks
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Wow
Overloaded the sump pump, I take it. I'm glad the saturated soil didn't wash into your basement.
Some people take preparedness to a whole new level.
I wonder if they get a deal on their flood insurance.
simply put IMO...they should
simply put IMO...they should get the WHOLE year refunded for the effort!
Proud member of the Whateley Academy Drow clan/collective
That sould be captioned
"Damned if my house is gonna flood... Where's the keys to my tractor!"
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
It's thinking smarter, not
It's thinking smarter, not harder.
Seriously, that's ingenious and shows the devotion to their property that few would take. Doesn't matter if places would complain about it being an "eyesore", they are protecting their home and are fully justified in doing so based on that picture alone!
I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime
You'd want a very good pump
You'd want a very good pump to remove that the water that falls over your block
Pump...
And a generator to keep it going when the power dies.
The amount a packing dirt alone...
How much did it cost to bring in that amount of packing dirt....
I think that person may need to elevate there house and fill in that void next, if they do that they become an island above the water, but they will need rock and rouble to protect that mound in the long run.
"Cortana is watching you!"
Only in my nightmares
- so far... but with rapid coastal erosion and more tidal events here?
Video link "not available in my region" but a quick search turned up a clip on Youtube.
"Reach for the sun."
Fairbanks flood of 1967
It was caused by an Ice Dam on the Nenana River. We were fortunate enough to be in a second floor apartment but had to leave when the water got about 8' deep. They thought the house would collapse.
Our neighbor was pumping their basement, when the concrete floor "floated" because of hydraulic pressure. It was sad.
I hope that the water goes down for you soon.
Gwen
I think Pier And Beam Construction for foundations will pick up.
Every time they build a tall building over 3 stories they do Pier and Beam construction for the foundations instead of just pouring a slab on top of the ground. Its expensive but has a lot of advantages.
Flooding I think is going to become the new norm for a while to come. And what is sad is any construction the Army Corp of Engineers does will first be to fix the old then build more, since everything they built for flood control is well over 50 years old on average in the nation. And then they will have to improve on what is there based on the new weather and climate data. Sadly I think that may take at least another century with how government funding works to get things even started.
"Cortana is watching you!"
Most houses in the gulf coast
Most houses in the gulf coast were built on pier and beam until about 1950. Then, for some reason, slabs started being used.
Slabs are horrible for houses. Unless you build your slab at least 8 inches thick, and prepare the ground at least three feet down, you're going to have it crack within 30 years. Usually sooner than that. Then it's 30k or more to re-level, and no guarantees about how long that'll last.
A pier and beam house can be re-leveled in two days, and costs $2,000. The quote for my house was 1,890.
Houses with basements are, basically, pier and beam.
BW
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
They probably stopped for speed and up front cost
Diss-honest Builders cut corners every place they can to maximize their profit, they are not going to be living in the house why should they care.
And just poring a Slab it a whole lot faster than digging down to poor the Piers, and the rest.
"Cortana is watching you!"
Pour piers? The house we
Pour piers? The house we moved into in 1975 was built on pilings. Brick and mortar pillars standing on the ground, and the beams were laid across the mounting points on top.
I mean, you _can_ pour piers, and it's cheap. Auger drill, sonotube, and concrete. Lots less concrete than a slab, and no real rebar, other than the wire in the sonotube.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
That link
Wants to sell me a subscription to watch. Not interested
Wiley Coyote!
I keep looking for my Wiley Coyote Fix. :) You left us hanging on a thread.
Thank you for the story and this isn't meant to be pressure. Just letting you know that we all are looking forward to more. :)
To Quote Mr. Incredible: "We get there when we get there!"