9 Comments

  1. Wow, Leslie!!! Terrible! I can’t believe you went through all of this – and your hand!!! We have a crazy (almost) flood story on my site as well – averted b/c of a water alarm by the water heater. Just about 2 days after we moved in!

    Curious about the information about the local regulations. Can you explain more about that part of the post? Thank you!

    1. Hi, Adrienne, thanks for your comment, I am so glad that you averted a similar disaster! I’m not sure I’m quite getting the crux of your question, so sorry if this is off the mark– Basically, governments at all levels are going to impose health, safety, and environmental rules and regulations. My experience was that compliance was pretty simple and straightforward when dealing at the town level. For example, our town sent an inspector a couple of times to make sure that the electricians’ work was safe and in compliance. It was little trouble to coordinate him coming out when required, and he was pleasant and professional. Things were much more difficult at the state level. For instance, the asbestos supervision was enforced by the state, and it was hard just to get someone on the phone to go through the process of being allowed to get my flooded house demo’d–additional stress I didn’t need. So it’s better to try to keep enforcement at the most local level, based on my experience. Hope this clarifies!

  2. Finding the right people and services really does make all of the difference. We live in a place where winter floods are very common, and we learned early on to find the right water damage restoration service. I would highly recommend doing research on the right services before the emergency to make sure you know who to turn to when the crap hits the fan.

  3. Wow! Such a huge ordeal! That was very interesting to read and your tips at the end are very practical. Thanks for sharing so we can learn from your disaster.

    1. Thanks, Melissa, I do hope my experience can save someone else a lot of trouble!

  4. Thank you, I’m so glad you both found my tips valuable. I have great empathy for others who go through similar disasters, and I do want my advice to be helpful for them.

  5. Home disasters are so awful! We lived through Hurricane Harvey and while our home didn’t flood, so many did and it was heartbreaking! I’m so sorry for what you’ve gone through! This is a great article to help people prepare for the unexpected because home disasters can and do happen all the time.

  6. Wow! That was some ordeal! I know people who had similar experiences after Superstorm Sandy – I live in New Rochelle, NY, just north of NYC. I commend you on your strength and perseverance. Great tips, too!

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