Rain Soaked Apartment
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I now have rain soaked carpets in my home.
The rain came in the patio door, and half my bedroom and one closet was saturated. Same with my living room.
There must have been a heck of a lot of rain to do that.
Here are some photos of my apartment today:
This is where Ivy feels safe I guess. Next to one of her scratching posts that she can get to.
And forgive me, I say facetiously, for the dirty carpet. I had a flood.
Second Bedroom:
Everything from all the other rooms came to rest in my second bedroom. It is a giant mess. But so far no water is in there I don’t think.
There’s so much piled in there I can only get in the door and maneuver to Ivy’s litter box.
It makes me kind of sick to look at it. So I just try not to.
I called my insurance agent and they said it only covers my personal belongings. The complex, they said, is responsible for everything else. I pretty much knew that.
I purchased a Hoover carpet cleaner several weeks ago and I asked Maria to clean the hall carpet. It got soiled from the broken pipe under the floor situation.
Now it’s dirty again due to the guys hauling off the dripping and dirty carpet padding.
Photos After The Rain:
I didn’t take photos of my bedroom. The sciatica in my back is really bad today. So I just went to sit down after taking these photos.
A maintenance man came and helped the carpet guy move furniture off the soaked carpet. He did not leave till they were done, and had laid the carpet back down.
The carpet guy who came to suck out the water said he’d been up since 2 a.m. sucking water out of apartments.
So the padding is gone, which they said they’d replace. The carpet will be cleaned.
It looks like a tornado hit this apartment. I was able to find my internet box and get it reconnected so I could get back online.
I’m fortunate it was not a tornado, because that happened in other areas of Oklahoma.
Tornadoes Across Oklahoma:
Here’s a photo of Sulphur, Oklahoma.
Four deaths occurred due to these storms. One was an infant. Around 30 people were injured in Sulphur, about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City.
The governor said it was the most damage he’d seen since he’d been elected in 2018.
Multiple large and dangerous tornadoes were reported on the ground simultaneously across parts of Oklahoma. This information came from the National Weather Service.
It wasn’t supposed to rain anymore for a few days. But yesterday evening it was coming down again.
What Will Happen With My Carpet:
The carpet guy said they won’t be back till Tuesday or Wednesday, so I will be living in this chaos. There are loud fans running till then.
My closet in my bedroom is long and was filled with stuff. Two wheelchairs. One for transport and the other a regular wheelchair, were in there. I used that closet for not only clothes, but also for other storage.
One wheelchair now sits on the patio. I don’t know where the other one is.
I’m not a clothes horse or one to buy shoes. I’ve only purchased good sturdy tennis shoes for the last 12 years. So instead I used that closet to store everything else.
And they had to take all of it out.
Where Is Everything?
I don’t know how I’m supposed to figure out where everything is. Ivy was terrified at first. She stayed close to one of her tall scratching posts, as you see above. It’s like her port in the storm.
I feel terrible for her because I can’t explain what’s going on. She’s calmed down now.
They left my recliner and the tables on either side of it. It’s not where it was but it’s in the general area.
Other than that, my living room looks like a hoarder’s house. Everything is pushed toward the dining room wall and kitchen. And you see that above as well.
The second bedroom is where everything else is piled. I just shifted my walker from place to place while they were working on the carpet and moving furniture.
I said: “Just get my chair close to an outlet so I can hook up my computer. The rest is fine for now.”
Why do I seem to have so many water problems, I wonder? A month or so ago, they had to jackhammer my floor again for the second time in two years. Now my apartment was flooded.
Friday:
On Friday I was sitting outside on the patio and heard this loud sound. I figured it was maybe the lawn guys with their weed blower. So I got up and looked around.
In the middle of my yard is where one of those black drainage caps are in the ground. There’s another one on my patio.
The sound I heard was water gushing from the drain in the yard. I figured maybe that was normal and I’d just never seen it before.
But I guess it was the beginning of what I’m dealing with now. Too much water and nowhere for it to go.
They sucked out water off the concrete for some time. It was squishy underfoot. They then sucked it out of the carpet and laid it back down.
I guess when all this is dry they’ll put padding back under the carpet.
But then after they left, as you know, it flooded again.
So this is my life until the carpet is dried out. And heaven help me if it rains again any time soon.
So sorry you are going through this. Your insurance company should be paying for you and ivy to relocate while this is going on. All of your belongings will need to be thrown out if they are wet or even damp. Do not hesitate to put in a large claim for replacement of all of your things due to wetness. You should also be looking for a new place. This will happen again. It is just a matter of time. If at all possible try to find a place that sits high. Many older homes, apts, condos do not sit high enough to prevent water intrusion. Again, do not hesitate to make your claim, this is what you have paid in premiums for years to have peace of mind in case of disaster. Good luck to you, Jean
Water underground has tremendous force and if it can not find a way to escape it will force its way up thru cement floors and thru walls. And that is probably what has been happening at your apt. We have a sump pump in our basement in a cement hole in the floor, where a pipe from underground leads to when the pressure of all the rainwater is too much, and the water table is too high for the rain water to sink deeper into the ground. To prevent the water from coming in thru the cement basement floors and walls, the water from outside comes thru the pipe into the sump hole, and the pump turns on when it reaches a certain height in the hole and the water in the hole is pumped back outside thru a hose and back onto the lawn. And this can go on all night until the rain stops and the water table in the earth lowers.
Any little crack in a cement floor or wall will be found by the rising water in the earth, the water takes the path of least resistance and this is probably why you have water in the carpet …. Not from you spilling water. You really should call the restoration company and ask them to come and suck the water out of that area and take out the underlay. The spores form, I heard within 3 days, and they call that black water.. don’t bother with mgment. Just call the restoration company To suck and put a fan in there.
I’m praying for you Brenda. I don’t think you believe in God, but I’m asking Him to watch over you and this mess.
So sorry for this mess…just glad you are all ok…💕
So sorry you are going through this mess Brenda. Its fine that they are taking the water out of the carpet and running industrial fans, but I would have thought that the complex would be replacing the carpets when things have calmed down a bit. You will get through this hurdle you always do!
Agreed you cannot just dry out carpets. When soaked like this they will shrink and smell musty after plus who knows what kind of bacteria was in that water, Jean
I’m so sorry you’re going through this, Brenda. I know from firsthand experience how stressful it is to have water where it shouldn’t be! Hopefully management will do what they should to remediate this, but if they drag their feet definitely get a lawyer. Hard as it may be, try to rest, relax and cuddle with Ivy as much as possible, so as to not aggravate your sciatica and ankle, and remind yourself that this will be resolved!
Climate change is creating havoc and even death all across the globe. Of course before remediation, the landlord must fix the structural problems that allowed water encroachment. Mention calling local newspaper if they don’t cooperate. You probably are already working on this, but I would highly recommend renting a de-humidifier if you haven’t already. Some rental companies deliver. A consequence of flooding is black mold– behind the sheet rock, under the carpet, etc. Your apartment must be dried out ASAP to protect your health. Inform management of a lawsuit if being nice doesn’t work. Also, many churches have armies of volunteers to assist elders when disaster strikes. I know firsthand that LDS and Baptist churches are good about helping out in times of emergencies. They could move your belongings back too. Call your local area Agency on Aging for advice. Good luck. You have such a lovely, stylish home, and I’m so sorry for your troubles.
Thinking 💐of you today. Hope you feel better soon and your water damage is cleaned up swiftly so you can enjoy your 💐flowers.
I’m sorry to read about the flooding, and of course the tornadoes, they terrify me. You might not be ready to look just now, but if you search Amazon for water barriers for flooding, they have a lot of different kinds. Maybe Jerry could give you some advice on what to get.
A flood is so upsetting. The chaos of furniture and things everywhere adds to the stress. Just careful and do not hurt yourself. 🎶
Oh no!!! I hope everything is repaired and restored to safe living conditions! If I was much closer, I’d be very happy to help you. Keeping you and Ivy in my thoughts!
With all those awful tornados and damage in OK, wonder if your excessive rainstorm is connected to that? Good part of all this for Ivy is you often change things around…and so long as she has you closeby, seems she ought to be ok. Animals often don’t worry as much as we humans do!! It sounds pure awful, Brenda…but apparently it is many others and not just you…hope it is soon over and solved!! I know it can rain so much the ground nor storm drains can handle it. The first summer we were in NC, it rained so much that there were 3 fountains of water shooting up out of the ground in the back yard!! I have NEVER seen that before nor since!! It was after raining continually for several days…and I guess the water had no place to go. FORTUNATELY, our house was up off the ground enough that it did not come in. But such is life in areas where tornados and hurricanes come!! Now where we are, in this apt complex, there has been a few times the water came up to the front door…but they have dug channels around the bldg and so far it has worked ok. Also came up to patio level but not above!! We were worried.
Oh (((BRENDA))) ! I am so, so sorry you’re dealing with such a mess! and poor management makes it that much worse, I know personally. But Godbless that Jerry! Shall be praying for you +
Good grief! I cannot imagine what you have been going through. Stay on top of the water – management should have someone out right away. Water is a home’s worst enemy and flooding issues should be addressed pronto. The building drainage does not sound adequate or it is clogged. The complex should be looking at that. Know that this too shall pass but in the meantime stay on them to bring your apt back to normal. Take extra good care of you and Miss Ivy:-)
Brenda please make sure you consult an attorney sometimes seniors can get a free one also contact your local health dept. .you and your cat can have mold spores grow in your lungs. YOu can get a pneumonia from mold. I wish I was there to help. my prayers Linda
Oh Brenda!
What a disaster you are in. I know exactly what you are going through. In December of 2010, we had left for a long planned vacation. We were gone for 3 plus weeks. We had a pipe crack in the master bath. All of the bathroom walls, master bedroom walls, walk-in closet and all subfloors had to be removed. Black mold had begun. Serv-Pro had to come in with their Hazmat division. They taped off the master bedroom door. Thank God we have a slider in there. The debris amount was staggering. The industrial fans going day and night was horrible! It took months to rebuild that part of our house. The Serv-Pro people were wonderful.
The amount of rain you had must have been epic! It sounds like the sewer infrastructure was overwhelmed in your city.
I am praying for you, Brenda and all others that have been victims of these storms.
What a horrible mess. I am sorry you’re having to deal with this. We’ve had a flooded basement a couple of times and I know what a nightmare it is to have your house upended like that. And those industrial fans are huge and noisy! Do they have a dehumidifer in there as well as the fans? I hope so. You don’t want to get mold, that’s for sure. Absolutely devastating photo from the tornado. Makes me sick to look at it. We get tornado warnings here in IL too, but not as many as your area. It’s the only time I’m glad we have a basement.
Just fans. No dehumidifiers in here.
I’m so sorry to hear this has happened to you. What a mess. I to feel so sorry for Ivy. They don’t understand. Poor little girl. Praying for things to improve soon at your place.
Wondering if the underground drainage pipes for the apartment complex are clogged, or the ground is so saturated with rain water that there’s no place for it to flow to. It looks like your apartment is on the same level as the outside, your floor inside the apartment (and the entire building at ground level) is not elevated enough from ground level so water will seep in underneath patio doors and entry doors into the building. Water will gush out of an underground drain pipe at its lowest point or under high pressure out of a relief valve when the water has no place else to drain. This may be what you saw happen on your patio but I doubt your apartment is the only one experiencing this issue. It sure sounds like many apartments in the complex had flooding issues on the ground floor. I hope your friends in the other ground floor apartments are okay.
Check around, Brenda. You may end up with a mold problem. Wet carpets and padding can get stinky. But standing water will seep under the baseboards and wick up the drywall. For about $30 you can get a drywall moisture detector from Amazon if you start to detect a musty smell. Your management should do this, but it sounds like you’re on your own. Unfortunately, extreme weather events are becoming more common as the climate changes. At some point insurance will be something only the wealthy can afford.
Good Lord, Brenda. I did not realize how bad this is, and what you now have to put up with. I pray the workers are fast getting you back to “normal”.
What a horrible, horrible tornado mess you pictured. I feel so badly for those poor people, those with deaths in their family, and then all those putting their lives back together, when everything is gone.
Wishing you all the best, going forward in your apartment clean up. Thinking of you, and saying a prayer also. Hugs from WI
I am very fortunate that this is all I have to deal with. Absolutely.
I am so sorry for what you are going through. As frustrating as your situation is, it could have been worse. I am glad that you are safe and that your home still is still standing. I hope that management will do right by you and clean up all the mess and make sure that mold doesn’t grow.
So sorry you and others have to go through mess from storms especially the loss of life. Prayers.
Brenda, I am so sorry you and Ivy must endure this. I’m hoping much better times are just around the corner. I wish I was closer to help you out everything back!