Not many photos cause, well, we went straight away into damage control. Turns out the hot water hose to the washing machine sprung a leak.. a really big leak.. essentially fully gushing, for almost the entire time that we were gone! Our first floor was swamped, with certain areas having 4-5 inches of water. Truthfully.. we were lucky. In the moment, the thought didn't cross my mind, but both Ryan and I went into the flooded home, while electricity was still on with live power extension cords fully submerged. So... regardless of the mess, I'm grateful it was only loss of property and my kids aren't orphans.
24-hour emergency flood company working into late night to remove all the water.
We spent that night camping on our front lawn. There was mold from the stagnant water.. and later on, there was asbestos which put the 1st floor under quarantine. This made for a very stressful first day, and first week, of work. But hey.. at least I have job to help pay for this.. and we're pretty good at the camping thing. It was actually kind of a nice night to sleep outside, warm and perfect temps.
Damage was extensive. Drywall walls and some ceiling, most flooring, cabinets, furniture, on top of loss of various items. This is how the 1st floor looks now. It'll be a while to renovate as there are lots of details to work through.
And here's our temporary storage. The flip side is, even as we look at the stuff in temporary storage.. a lot of the stuff is not needed. This makes a good time as any to clean and reduce.
It was sad to throw away things that were total loss, but at the end of the day.. it's just stuff. I have a better understanding of situations where flooding or fires occurs and the impact it can have. This is also a reminder that the unexpected can happen. Evacuation is always a possibility, and to be better prepared. .. oh, and shut off the main water line prior to going on a trip!
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