I was able to get into the house Tuesday night. You can prepare yourself as much as you want, but when you walk into your home for the first time, nothing prepares you for this. I wish I could say, that it was better than I had thought it would be, but it's not. There is an upside to this thing, but there are far more down sides of this disaster.
Let me see if I can describe this to you. Pictures were taken and placed on Facebook, those pictures can't begin to show you the devastation that we all see at our homes. The filth, the smell, oh my God the smell is nothing like I have ever smelled before. I have a basement with sewage back up and river water in it, mostly sewage. There is so much of it.. you can only imagine what my house smells like. There is mold and mildew every where, masks HAVE to be worn in the house, at all times. Black mold as we all know is very dangerous. The wood floors in the dining, living room and in the kitchen have buckled and there are these large mounds just sticking up in the middle of the floor. The carpeting is full of mud and river water, squishing under your feet as you walk. The plaster is coming off the walls. The stair case is busted and cracked beyond repair. Even if I could repair this, the mold that has gotten inside the banister and would not be good to have in the house any longer. It is so upsetting to see this 101 year old banister destroyed. It was beautiful, and had a lot of charm.
I was amazed at just how much water was in my house. I knew there would be a lot, but 7 1/2 feet on the main floor is just crazy. You can see the water lines on the outside as well as the inside of my house. There are 11 stairs going up to the second floor, the water went up those 11 stairs and stopped at the first landing. Then there are six more stairs and you're on the second floor of the house. When we started up those stairs, I was really apprehensive about what I was going to see, as most of my belongings were on that floor. So, I couldn't believe it when I reached the second floor and nothing was touched, there was NO mold or mildew, the top floor actually smelled good, (compared to the lower floors) it smelled like my house always smelled, but like a it had been closed up for 32 days. I was amazed and thrilled that my belongings had been saved. This is what I had been wishing and hoping for!!
I wish I could say that the garage loft with the rest of my furniture did as well as the second floor. Unfortunately, I can't, there were a few antiques that we thought would make it, an entertainment center, dining room chairs, Erika's dresser, a coffee table, wicker patio chairs, and other miscellaneous things that I wanted saved that we have lost. The water levels in the garage were about 12 1/2 feet high. The furniture didn't stand a chance. I was totally devastated by this, as these were our favorite things. I never imagined that the water would ever reach this level. But this flood has been nothing like Minot has ever seen before.
So, everyone keeps asking me, "what are you going to do?" and I keep saying, " I have no idea." And I don't. Do I rebuild the house and make it even better?, Do I say screw it and walk away? Just not sure yet. I am trying to wrap my head around what has happened and I still can't. So, I am taking it one day at a time. My first objective was to get air flow into the house, well, when wood has gotten wet what does it do? It swells, none of the windows would open and some had been painted shut by the previous owners. So, it was window breaking time. I have smashed several windows to get a good cross air flow through out the house. After the first window, it got a little easier to do. Those windows will all have to be replaced any how. My second objective was to get my furniture out of the house. I have been able to get most everything out that matters, I still have a bed room set in the spare bedroom that I can't decide if I want to keep or trash, I have had it forever. I will decide later today about this. So, part two of my plan has pretty much been carried out!!
Part three is the clean up, the first thing that has to be done is pumping the basement, the second is to get rid of the carpet. All carpets will be ripped out, even the upstairs carpets, it all has to go. The walls have to be sprayed with bleach water , everything has to be sprayed with bleach and water to combat the mold. After that, we start tearing out walls and cabinets, all fixtures. Everything has to come down to the bare studs. This is going to be the hard part.
I have a plan, at least that is something. But this house can never, will never be the same again. Sure, I can probably make it better, but do I want to do this? I may not have a choice, there is no other housing in Minot, no apartments to live in. There is nothing available. Houses that are going on the market are sold the same day. This is crazy!! The only other thing to do is to move to a different city. Now, before my friends in Mississippi get excited, I have definitely decided that we will NOT be moving back to the Magnolia State. North Dakota is my home, I have been here exactly half of my life. I am not allowing a flood to run me out. I have people that I truly love here, I can't leave them, I don't want to leave. If I do move, it will be to Bismarck or maybe a different town. Maybe even Tennessee..you never know! That is not something I can even think about right now.
It's time to get up and head to the house. FEMA will be there this morning for an inspection. and there is lots to do!! This is going to take a very long time and is going to be very difficult. BUT I will make it, I simply have no other choice.
If you need a good cry, drop by and see me at the house, I am always up for more tears. At any given moment you will see me break down and then five minutes later I am okay again! This is my life right now, and I really hate it!! Thank you for taking the time to read.
As Always ~
Trish
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