I am a US east coast resident, a Long Islander. All is not well.
The foundation in my crawl space now has cracks and the house tried to float away. It was pretty much unweighted by buoyancy and settled back down. I guess I'll need an engineer to assess structural damage. I do have flood insurance but not homeowners.
There is a home heating oil smell permeating the house which is weird since I have gas heat.
I lost three cars in the flood. There not lost, there sitting in the driveway. They just don't run anymore. Two of them uninsured (mine) and my girlfriend's insured car.
Oh, I don't know maybe $200,000.00 worth of damage.
Lots of fuzzy, smelly stuff growing everywhere. Masks, gloves, bleach have been a daily ritual for clean up. Washed all the clothes, curtains, bed spreads, pillow cases, wash cloths and towels. Even the lamp shades smell. So do I probably. So do my piano scores.
I have been living at my girlfriends since 10/29/12 dealing with the aftermath day by day.
On the upside, the house is much less cluttered. I threw away carpets, furniture, books, stereos, etc.
I am dehumidifying the severely flooded room which probably has black mold spreading in the sheet rock. The floor tiles crack when you walk on them.
No heat, no electricity, no food, no TV, no internet, no phone, no car at my house for 2 weeks.
But my beloved Schulze-Pollman piano is alive and well. Unfortunately, I now live at my girlfriends (until she kicks me out anyway) and my piano is 5 miles away at my former residence.
So, basically I have quit playing piano or was I fired? I brought a guitar to my girlfriend's house but haven't played it. It sort of sits there as a reminder.
Need a laugh? Fema sent me a check for $5700.00 explaining that $3500 is for repairs and $2200 is for renting a place to live.
3 weeks later, still no car. Mostly, bumming rides and using buses and railroad which are not particularly convenient to a Long Island resident.
The house is coming back little by little, day by day. The odors are better. Febrese, air fresheners, carpet cleaners help.
Well, I could go on and on but don't feel like it.
I wish the best for all others who suffered from this storm, Joe.