After the Storm

Getting these pictures loaded is giving me fits...but here they are.

Now that Hurricane Irene is over I have some cleaning up to do.

When I came down to my Mom Cave yesterday morning, I thought it smelled damp, so I checked the utility room. Water was just beginning to run down the wall from the window well. YIKES! I raced up two flights of stairs to get dressed then grabbed a small pan to bail the water. Of course I got soaking wet, but at least the water stopped coming in. But, before it stopped, the damage was done.

I bailed the window well twice more before the rain stopped! I have a well cover, but the water was seeping in from the soil into the well along the foundation.

Because the window well filled up and spilled into the basement I had to pick up the pieces of vinyl on the floor. They were just set aside so I could put towels down on the floor to absorb water. Once that was done the towels went into the washer to spin then into the dryer…then back on the floor.

That vinyl has to be brought outside today so I can wash the backside with a bleach solution to prevent mould. Once the sun and wind dries the backside, I can put the pieces back on the utility room floor. Piece by piece the topside will have to be washed down also, but not until they are on the floor.

The big job is in my office area. Water seeped under the partition and under the vinyl. However, there is a lot of furniture on top of that vinyl! Another job today will be to move my couch forward so I can move some of my furniture onto the carpet. I unloaded both file cabinets yesterday just so I could move them…but they need to be moved off the vinyl in order for me to be able to take it up and outside for cleaning. Then the floor underneath has to be completely dried before the vinyl can go back down.

I have informed the management company and have requested someone come over and caulk the window. Little by little I’m fixing things. If I hadn’t finished the basement it wouldn’t have mattered. I need to get a small pallet to get a couple of heavy things up off the floor…even a few 2x4’s would do.

Yep. Little by little. A lot of work to be done!