Now that we received our checks to begin repairs on our Hurricane Irene damage, I feel ready to write about the experience. Here is the first of at least six posts..check back for updates!
Before the storm...
One could say, "The calm before the storm" but here in Central Virginia it was anything but calm the last two weeks of August. On Tuesday, August 23 there was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake and the epicenter was about 50 miles from our house. Everyone in Richmond felt it, as did most of the east coast. We felt at least 2 more aftershocks over the next 3 days, and for earthquake rookies, we thought this was enough excitement for one week.
At our house, 2 shelves came off the wall, a vase fell, and knickknacks jiggled on their shelves. We were thinking of our neighbors to the northwest who DID have significant damage and who DID NOT have earthquake coverage on their homeowners insurance. I now know EXACTLY how much that costs and it truly sucks for anyone that has to pay for it out of pocket.
Even before the surprise earthquake, the newscasters could not stop talking about the hurricane headed our way. It was going to be bigger, and more devastating than Gaston in 2004. We were not here for Gaston, but we heard the scary stories of massive flooding and saw some horrifying pictures of dozens of cars floating downtown--I was scared! I was slightly comforted in knowing Irene was going to hit on a Saturday and we would all be home together. On Wednesday, the earthquake was old news and it was time to focus on Hurricane Irene. Newscasters really started making doomsday predictions so I thought it was time to prepare. Now, Virginia has a reputation for overreacting to Natural Disaster predictions, such as a mob scene at Wal-mart when there is going to be a few inches of snow. At this moment though, I didn't care if I was being overly cautious, extra water was not going to spoil, break the bank or do any other harm. I got 3 24 packs of water, and thought about what food to prepare in case we loose power. We had plenty of batteries and other emergency supplies so our needs were pretty simple. I was surprised no one else had bought water yet, but felt good that we were now ready. Everyone said that after Gaston people were out of power for a week!
In our personal lives, there was enough excitement in our home. My Aunt Pam had just moved in with us 2 months before, I resigned from my job on August 8 and my new line work had not yet begun. We also had a lot of house-related excitement before the Earthquake, Hurricane week. We had a lighting strike that fried the outlet to the dryer, a Heat Pump needed a new capacitor, we had gutter guards, a chimney cap and a solar attic fan installed all this between June-August. But wait there's more, we had a water pipe issue that is a saga in and of itself. In short, our pipe was leaking from the shut off valve by the street to the shut off valve at the house. We had the County come out two times to check and replace the meter, and a plumber came at least two times to check the house and replace our house shut off valve. The pipe was leaking for over 6 months before it was finally replaced on August 17. This was a 4 digit out of pocket expense, we sucked it up and thought we'd breath easy for at least for a week. HA!
Stay tuned for the follow up articles, we have learned so much from the process, and we're only halfway through.
Hurricane Irene: Before the Storm (This page)
Hurricane Irene hits Central Virginia, Saturday, August 27
The three days after the storm
The weeks and months after the storm (link coming soon!)
Surviving without climate control for three months (link coming soon!)
Let the demo begin
Before the storm...
One could say, "The calm before the storm" but here in Central Virginia it was anything but calm the last two weeks of August. On Tuesday, August 23 there was a 5.8 magnitude earthquake and the epicenter was about 50 miles from our house. Everyone in Richmond felt it, as did most of the east coast. We felt at least 2 more aftershocks over the next 3 days, and for earthquake rookies, we thought this was enough excitement for one week.
At our house, 2 shelves came off the wall, a vase fell, and knickknacks jiggled on their shelves. We were thinking of our neighbors to the northwest who DID have significant damage and who DID NOT have earthquake coverage on their homeowners insurance. I now know EXACTLY how much that costs and it truly sucks for anyone that has to pay for it out of pocket.
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| Victims of the Earthquake |
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| Bye bye sweet orchid |
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| Picture from Hurricane Gaston, Times Dispatch |
In our personal lives, there was enough excitement in our home. My Aunt Pam had just moved in with us 2 months before, I resigned from my job on August 8 and my new line work had not yet begun. We also had a lot of house-related excitement before the Earthquake, Hurricane week. We had a lighting strike that fried the outlet to the dryer, a Heat Pump needed a new capacitor, we had gutter guards, a chimney cap and a solar attic fan installed all this between June-August. But wait there's more, we had a water pipe issue that is a saga in and of itself. In short, our pipe was leaking from the shut off valve by the street to the shut off valve at the house. We had the County come out two times to check and replace the meter, and a plumber came at least two times to check the house and replace our house shut off valve. The pipe was leaking for over 6 months before it was finally replaced on August 17. This was a 4 digit out of pocket expense, we sucked it up and thought we'd breath easy for at least for a week. HA!
Stay tuned for the follow up articles, we have learned so much from the process, and we're only halfway through.
Hurricane Irene: Before the Storm (This page)
Hurricane Irene hits Central Virginia, Saturday, August 27
The three days after the storm
The weeks and months after the storm (link coming soon!)
Surviving without climate control for three months (link coming soon!)
Let the demo begin
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