Pastey
New member
Been away from the forums for a little while mostly due to life being hectic and my tank sort of taking a back seat. Aside from fighting a cyano problem, my fish were all happy, my simple corals were doing well and I was keeping up with the maintenance. About a month ago, Louisiana was inundated with flooding and, unfortunately, we were forced to leave our home as water was coming in the house.
The rain started on that Thursday evening and it poured pretty much all night. Friday, I went to work knowing that the rain was not going to really stop. Living in LA, we are used to flash/areal flooding...it's just a part of life. You learn which areas to avoid as they flood easier than others. Halfway through the work day, I sent my guys home as reports of road closures were trickling. I wanted to make sure my employees (and myself) were able to make it home as the rain was not forecast to slack off for a while. A 20 min. drive home turned into a 3 hours fiasco as I tried every route I could possibly find. I finally found ONE and drove through ~2 feet of water but I made it home and that was all that mattered. I had made a quick trip to the store to stock up on food for the weekend as we were expecting not to be able to get out of our neighborhood for a few days. We were set.
Friday, we watched the water fill the street as the rain kept coming down. Our neighborhood was relatively new and was built up quite a bit compared to the surrounding/low lying/flood prone area we were located in. We were nervous even at that point but by Friday afternoon, the rain had sort of slowed to a drizzle and the water level had seemingly stopped rising. We went to bed Friday night feeling pretty confident that we were just in a for long weekend of sitting at home and since we had power / internet, it wasn't a big deal.
Friday:
Saturday morning, we awoke to water that had dropped about 2 feet. We could see the crown in the street. We thought "Well, that's over!" We knew the roads connected our subdivision to the main roads were very lowlying and would still be covered but the threat to our home was over. We made pancakes and I watched some of the Rio olympics....it was going to be a quiet Saturday morning. After we ate, I saw a lot of vehicles going down the street that our subdivision is off of that happens to be a dead end so I figured they must have been going to look at some of the flooding so my wife and I hopped in the truck and drove back. We were not prepared at all for what was happening just half a mile away. The river (Amite River) was RUSHING across the street. It was rushing and it was moving FAST.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8l91eTCJ8Y
People's homes were destroyed and it was obvious that this was much more than a minor inconvenience even to our small little area. The total time we were gone from the house was ~45 min.
The water was LOWER than in this picture at that time:
After 45 min., the water had risen this much:
The water had begun rushing out of the woods to our east (towards the river) and was FLOWING east to west down the street...the current and the volume of water was unbelievable. We were starting to get really nervous at that point...I think it was roughly 11 or 12 by that point. People were starting to assess their next move...some were daming up their doors...some were just kayaking up and down the street. Keep in mind that no one in our neighborhood was required to have flood insurance due to our flood zone designation...the nervousness was palpable as people tried to determine the best course of action to save their home from water. We helped a few neighbors make "mud bags" (think sand bags but with mud) and helped them dam up their doors...in hindsight, this was a lost cause but we didnt know when the water would stop rising. We actually HAVE flood insurance but decided we would do what we could...no one wants water in their home.
Fast forward a few hours....
By 3:00, our back patio looked like this:
By 3:30, the water was coming in under the walls and doors...we were done. It was time to go. My wife had made hotel reservations across town. We knew LOCAL volunteers were ferrying people across the flooded areas to the main road near our home but we didn't know how we would get across town...I assumed we would hitchhike a couple of times. When we left, the power was still on but I knew the power would eventually be cut to our area either by flooded transformers or manually for safety reasons. I knew my tank was done for at that point...I said my goodbyes to my fish.
We walked about a 1/4 mile out of the neighborhood in waist deep water carrying what we could....including a 14 lbs. cat I had in a carrier on my shoulder. The first boat was a short ride of about a 1/4 mile. We walked about a mile to the next spot where there was a mixture of volunteers, Wildlife officials and what I think were reserve officers....the boats all had large outboards which I thought was kind of overkill given that I assumed even a kayak would suffice to get us out. Couldn't have been more wrong. These guys were almost up on plane at certain parts to overcome the current...an underpowered boat would have been swept away...I tried not to think about what would happen because "downstream" was nothing but trees and the rooves of homes that had been flooded so badly, that was all you could see of them anymore. We made it out to the main road and it was completely clogged with service vehicles, volunteers, people getting picked up...it was a madhouse. There was a line of vehicles, to our saving grace, that was picking up strangers and taking them places...shelters, etc. The woman that picked us up was kind enough to take us 30 min. across town to our hotel room which saved us from having to hitchhike...I don't know if I had ever been so thankful for something as simple as a ride in my entire life.
Once we had time to decompress (and shower...god I stank), the entirety of what had just occurred weighed on us. We were without home and we were only guaranteed 2 nights in this hotel. We packed maybe 4 or 5 changes of clothes, we had a cat but almost none of the things a cat needs. It was utterly overwhelming. And I kept saying to myself, there are THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of others who were just like us and many much worse. I couldn't wrap my brain around recovery.
After a few days, the waters had receeded enough that we could get home...luckily, I work for a car dealership and I was able to get a truck so we had transportation. We couldn't drive all the way home but we were able to park and walk through some folk's backyards.
The tank, at this point, had been without power for ~72 hours. I had zero hope for anything being alive...
The story isn't all doom and gloom though...my mating pair of Occ. clowns were still alive (barely) and my blue chromis was swimming around wondering *** the big deal was and why he hadn't been fed in 3 or 4 days. I was able to get them out, transport them back to hotel room, buy enough NSW at Petsmart and keep them alive until I found a local reefer who would keep them until I was able to set up again.
Fast forward again...we're now nearly a month since. We now live in a rented home and will be doing so for about 5-6 months. The home has been completely emptied: all floor ripped up (minus the tile), sheetrock cut out up to 24", baseboards, door jambs, etc. all pulled out. Couches thrown away...all appliances except the fridge throw away, anything in the lower cabinets tossed. The only thing in the home now is fans and dehumidifiers. The cabinet team is coming this week to remove (and hopefully save) our countertop granite so that I can demo all the lower cabinet and remove the remaining sheetrock. We (my wife) is nearly done with our contents list for insurance and we hope to have everything submitted to flood insurance soon so that we can get under contract with a contractor to start the rebuilding process. On top of the normal job duty, this has been like having a 2nd and 3rd job for us...we are just now getting to where we are running out of things WE have to do and it's almost time for professionals to do the rest.
Everyone around here has been affected by this. Either you were flooded, had close family that was flooded, know someone who flooded or, at the very least, your life has been inconvenienced by road/business/school closures, traffic and shortages. The national media coverage (or lack thereof) was pathetic. We don't want "attention" for the sake of attention. The more attention this garners, the more sympathy there is. The more sympathy there is, the more the federal government is urged to step in and help. Between the joke of a presidential race and the Rio Olympics, this flood was a sort of foot note on the week.
However, the speed at which the city/area is recovering is amazing. As soon as people could get back, they were in their homes, ripping apart their homes. Recovery started almost immediately. Not a day of working in our home went by without a neighbor (with whom we probably had never spoken to) would come by, offer assistance, food, tools, or maybe just 10-15 minutes of welcomed distraction. A lot people think of Katrina when they think of Louisiana flooding and, thanks to negative media coverage, have less than positive memories of the stories that came to light during that time. I am proud to say, however, that we saw the absolute best from the people who live here during this time. I don't get to say I'm proud to live in Louisiana very often but this is one of the few times I can.
Sorry this went on so long.....for those not interested in my novel, here is the TL;DR version:
Our home flooded.
My tank was nearly completely ruined.
I'm not sure if I want to rebuild my 200DD tank, get rid of everything and start with a new tank or get out of the hobby completely.
What say you?
The rain started on that Thursday evening and it poured pretty much all night. Friday, I went to work knowing that the rain was not going to really stop. Living in LA, we are used to flash/areal flooding...it's just a part of life. You learn which areas to avoid as they flood easier than others. Halfway through the work day, I sent my guys home as reports of road closures were trickling. I wanted to make sure my employees (and myself) were able to make it home as the rain was not forecast to slack off for a while. A 20 min. drive home turned into a 3 hours fiasco as I tried every route I could possibly find. I finally found ONE and drove through ~2 feet of water but I made it home and that was all that mattered. I had made a quick trip to the store to stock up on food for the weekend as we were expecting not to be able to get out of our neighborhood for a few days. We were set.
Friday, we watched the water fill the street as the rain kept coming down. Our neighborhood was relatively new and was built up quite a bit compared to the surrounding/low lying/flood prone area we were located in. We were nervous even at that point but by Friday afternoon, the rain had sort of slowed to a drizzle and the water level had seemingly stopped rising. We went to bed Friday night feeling pretty confident that we were just in a for long weekend of sitting at home and since we had power / internet, it wasn't a big deal.
Friday:
Saturday morning, we awoke to water that had dropped about 2 feet. We could see the crown in the street. We thought "Well, that's over!" We knew the roads connected our subdivision to the main roads were very lowlying and would still be covered but the threat to our home was over. We made pancakes and I watched some of the Rio olympics....it was going to be a quiet Saturday morning. After we ate, I saw a lot of vehicles going down the street that our subdivision is off of that happens to be a dead end so I figured they must have been going to look at some of the flooding so my wife and I hopped in the truck and drove back. We were not prepared at all for what was happening just half a mile away. The river (Amite River) was RUSHING across the street. It was rushing and it was moving FAST.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8l91eTCJ8Y
People's homes were destroyed and it was obvious that this was much more than a minor inconvenience even to our small little area. The total time we were gone from the house was ~45 min.
The water was LOWER than in this picture at that time:
After 45 min., the water had risen this much:
The water had begun rushing out of the woods to our east (towards the river) and was FLOWING east to west down the street...the current and the volume of water was unbelievable. We were starting to get really nervous at that point...I think it was roughly 11 or 12 by that point. People were starting to assess their next move...some were daming up their doors...some were just kayaking up and down the street. Keep in mind that no one in our neighborhood was required to have flood insurance due to our flood zone designation...the nervousness was palpable as people tried to determine the best course of action to save their home from water. We helped a few neighbors make "mud bags" (think sand bags but with mud) and helped them dam up their doors...in hindsight, this was a lost cause but we didnt know when the water would stop rising. We actually HAVE flood insurance but decided we would do what we could...no one wants water in their home.
Fast forward a few hours....
By 3:00, our back patio looked like this:
By 3:30, the water was coming in under the walls and doors...we were done. It was time to go. My wife had made hotel reservations across town. We knew LOCAL volunteers were ferrying people across the flooded areas to the main road near our home but we didn't know how we would get across town...I assumed we would hitchhike a couple of times. When we left, the power was still on but I knew the power would eventually be cut to our area either by flooded transformers or manually for safety reasons. I knew my tank was done for at that point...I said my goodbyes to my fish.
We walked about a 1/4 mile out of the neighborhood in waist deep water carrying what we could....including a 14 lbs. cat I had in a carrier on my shoulder. The first boat was a short ride of about a 1/4 mile. We walked about a mile to the next spot where there was a mixture of volunteers, Wildlife officials and what I think were reserve officers....the boats all had large outboards which I thought was kind of overkill given that I assumed even a kayak would suffice to get us out. Couldn't have been more wrong. These guys were almost up on plane at certain parts to overcome the current...an underpowered boat would have been swept away...I tried not to think about what would happen because "downstream" was nothing but trees and the rooves of homes that had been flooded so badly, that was all you could see of them anymore. We made it out to the main road and it was completely clogged with service vehicles, volunteers, people getting picked up...it was a madhouse. There was a line of vehicles, to our saving grace, that was picking up strangers and taking them places...shelters, etc. The woman that picked us up was kind enough to take us 30 min. across town to our hotel room which saved us from having to hitchhike...I don't know if I had ever been so thankful for something as simple as a ride in my entire life.
Once we had time to decompress (and shower...god I stank), the entirety of what had just occurred weighed on us. We were without home and we were only guaranteed 2 nights in this hotel. We packed maybe 4 or 5 changes of clothes, we had a cat but almost none of the things a cat needs. It was utterly overwhelming. And I kept saying to myself, there are THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of others who were just like us and many much worse. I couldn't wrap my brain around recovery.
After a few days, the waters had receeded enough that we could get home...luckily, I work for a car dealership and I was able to get a truck so we had transportation. We couldn't drive all the way home but we were able to park and walk through some folk's backyards.
The tank, at this point, had been without power for ~72 hours. I had zero hope for anything being alive...
The story isn't all doom and gloom though...my mating pair of Occ. clowns were still alive (barely) and my blue chromis was swimming around wondering *** the big deal was and why he hadn't been fed in 3 or 4 days. I was able to get them out, transport them back to hotel room, buy enough NSW at Petsmart and keep them alive until I found a local reefer who would keep them until I was able to set up again.
Fast forward again...we're now nearly a month since. We now live in a rented home and will be doing so for about 5-6 months. The home has been completely emptied: all floor ripped up (minus the tile), sheetrock cut out up to 24", baseboards, door jambs, etc. all pulled out. Couches thrown away...all appliances except the fridge throw away, anything in the lower cabinets tossed. The only thing in the home now is fans and dehumidifiers. The cabinet team is coming this week to remove (and hopefully save) our countertop granite so that I can demo all the lower cabinet and remove the remaining sheetrock. We (my wife) is nearly done with our contents list for insurance and we hope to have everything submitted to flood insurance soon so that we can get under contract with a contractor to start the rebuilding process. On top of the normal job duty, this has been like having a 2nd and 3rd job for us...we are just now getting to where we are running out of things WE have to do and it's almost time for professionals to do the rest.
Everyone around here has been affected by this. Either you were flooded, had close family that was flooded, know someone who flooded or, at the very least, your life has been inconvenienced by road/business/school closures, traffic and shortages. The national media coverage (or lack thereof) was pathetic. We don't want "attention" for the sake of attention. The more attention this garners, the more sympathy there is. The more sympathy there is, the more the federal government is urged to step in and help. Between the joke of a presidential race and the Rio Olympics, this flood was a sort of foot note on the week.
However, the speed at which the city/area is recovering is amazing. As soon as people could get back, they were in their homes, ripping apart their homes. Recovery started almost immediately. Not a day of working in our home went by without a neighbor (with whom we probably had never spoken to) would come by, offer assistance, food, tools, or maybe just 10-15 minutes of welcomed distraction. A lot people think of Katrina when they think of Louisiana flooding and, thanks to negative media coverage, have less than positive memories of the stories that came to light during that time. I am proud to say, however, that we saw the absolute best from the people who live here during this time. I don't get to say I'm proud to live in Louisiana very often but this is one of the few times I can.
Sorry this went on so long.....for those not interested in my novel, here is the TL;DR version:
Our home flooded.
My tank was nearly completely ruined.
I'm not sure if I want to rebuild my 200DD tank, get rid of everything and start with a new tank or get out of the hobby completely.
What say you?
