Flood Update: Part 1

Thank you all for being patient while I was “away” from the blog for a few days. Life has been rather chaotic since our unexpected flood Friday night. I think that the easiest way to describe our “adventure” is to give you a day-to-day synopsis/summary and insert pictures where appropriate. I will not be posting all of the updates at one time, as that would be a very long post! So, without further ado, here is what the past few days have looked like at our house . . .

~Friday (January 7)~

Mom and Dad turn the dishwasher on before going to bed. I (Bianca) look forward to sleeping in, as it has been a long week since starting school again after vacation. Sometime during the night, the hot water hose to our dishwasher springs a pin-head sized leak, and due to the pressure in the hose, spews water all night.

~Saturday (January 8)~

I wake up at 7:10 a.m. because my Mom opened the linen closet just outside my bedroom. I overhear her whisper to my Dad “there’s water everywhere in the kitchen.” I figure it had something to do with our malfunctioning spray hose in the kitchen sink. I roll over, pull the covers up and think about the next hour I have to enjoy resting. About a minute later, I hear Dad go running to the basement. I still don’t think much of it (probably because I am still half asleep.) After another minute, I hear the slippers. That would be Mom’s slippers. I finally realized that this wasn’t just a little puddle. She comes over and turns my lamp on and tells me I need to get up because there has been a flood and Dad needed all hands on deck.

I stumble downstairs to find the kitchen island moved and the cabinet doors under the sink open. Dad tells me to grab a pair of shoes and come downstairs with towels. I am shocked at what I find. Portions of our basement carpet are saturated with water. Eight of our drop-ceiling tiles were damaged and dripping water profusely. One had completely fallen to the floor, spreading sodden plaster everywhere, and three others were hanging, but acting as funnels so that the water dripped into buckets that had been set around.



The pipe that leaked is the one on the far left. The pipe in the center (which attaches to our sink sprayer) rubbed against it and over time, wore it out.



This is what was left of the plaster tiles that fell from the ceiling in the basement.



One of the eight holes in our ceiling.



In this picture, you can see one of the ceiling tiles just hanging to the left.

Our basement bedroom (located directly under our kitchen) was a mess. A chunk of the ceiling had fallen, and there was a gaping hole. Water had dripped into our cellular blinds, damaged the drywall, soaked part of our couch, and spread water all over our computer, desk, printer, and part of the carpet.



The ceiling in our basement bedroom directly under the kitchen. You can see that the drywall has completely fallen out to the right.



While Mom calls the insurance company, Ben, Dad and I get to work cleaning up what we can. I help pick up plaster tiles so that we can run the wet/dry vacuum. Around 8:00 a.m. the rest of the children come down to survey the damage. We have the plaster picked up and Dad starts running the wet vacuum. He estimates that at least 30-40 gallons of water leaked. Mom and Dad make talk with the insurance company and make arrangements for a restoration crew that afternoon. We do the best that we can to start our morning, despite the fact that we have no hot water (we had to shut the valve off in order to stop the leak.) After breakfast, Mom and the three younger children escape for awhile to swim lessons.

Around lunch time, Dad comes home after visiting the plumbing company/store and purchasing a new valve, so that our hot water can be restored. At 2:00 p.m. Mr. C from the restoration crew arrives. He surveys the damage and takes notes. About an hour later the contractor (Mr. A.) from the restoration crew arrives and the work begins.

At about 5:00 p.m. Mr. C leaves after unloading several pieces of equipment that we will need later. I come back inside to find things in even more upheaval! There is a pathway of cloth laid down to prevent the floor from getting dirty. I head to the basement to find everyone putting books in boxes, because the shelves will need to be moved. What a daunting task! We have a LOT of books! J After helping with that, I take food orders and Dad and I run to McDonalds since our kitchen has become the restoration crew’s headquarters.

By about 8:00 p.m. Mr. A. has moved the necessary furniture, ripped up the carpet, and put 4 blowers, 2 dehumidifiers, and 2 fans throughout the basement to dry the carpet and the foam/padding underneath. I practice my song for church on the piano (“I Could Sing of Your Love Forever”) and Mr. A asks if we are “believers.” We say yes and find out that he is a Christian and attends an EFCA Church in Grand Rapids! We talk a lot about theology, missions, and whatnot. I’m glad that amidst this hardship, God has blessed us with a Christian contractor!




This is what our basement bedroom looked like. You can see the two red blowers, the blue fan (foreground) and part of the dehumidifier (background.)



More fans, dehumidifiers, and a vacuum system in our kitchen.

By 9:00 p.m. Mr. A has set up a vacuum/mat system, 2 dehumidifiers, and 2 fans in the kitchen. They create quite a ruckus! (Think wind tunnel) In my bedroom, it still sounds like a hotel air conditioning unit gone haywire. Poor Josiah had a melt-down. It’s past his bedtime and he hasn’t even showered, and the noise is really bothering him. With tears in his eyes he asked Mom, “Do I have to listen to this for 3 days? Do I have a choice?” J Poor guy! At 10:00 p.m. Mr. A leaves and I settle in for a very interesting night’s sleep.

. . . To be continued . . .