Flood
Let me start by saying that I know my flood is less of a disaster than what so many people are facing as the waters continue to receed.
Besides the flooding, my friends and family in New Hampshire still have no electricity and many roads have washed away (adding 30+ minutes one way to my Mom's commute.) Thankfully my folks purchased a generator last summer! It'll save the food in the fridge/freezer since they estimate the power outage to last through Saturday.

That said, when it's your home, any flood just plain sucks. This is the SECOND time in as many years to boot that my apartment flooded. After the last flood they replaced 1/2 of the wooden floor...this time they'll have to replace the entire floor and likely, the sheet rock atleast 1/2 way up the walls.

Mold is setting in. The clothes in my closet downstairs are starting to have mold spots on them...they didn't even touch the water but the air is humid downstairs. I think there may still be some pools of water underneath the wood floors. The floors are still damp.

Does anyone out there know of an agency that I can call to have my apartment checked for high levels of mold? I've had a scratchy throat and small cough since this all happened.

The cats, all three, will NOT go downstairs since the flood...which means they wouldn't use their litterbox downstairs. Another mess (don't ask.) The box has been moved upstairs until further notice. The boys will go halfway down the stairs but stop short. Makes me a little nervous frankly. Animals know and sense things we do not!

I spent my day yesterday first picking up a load of plastic bins at the Container Store, stuffing myself and the boxes into my usual drivers car (it's necessary to have a driver/car that you know and can call upon when you live in NYC without a car.) That was my view (at left)all the way home (and yes, the trunk was full too!!) The folks at the Container store really are ALWAYS so helpful (at least in my experience!) Thanks!!!
After unloading I began the sorting of things that were wet, ruined and things that need to be cleaned. Anything wet must be dried before it can be cleaned.

I'd begun to sort through things I'd borrowed or planned to give away or needed repair before I left on my long trip. Cardboard boxes all around the floor...all the books in those boxes...ruined. Anything fabric will need to be deep cleaned.

After the last flood, I purchased custom made cabinets that fit to the space. My dream work room where I could put my fabrics into easily accessible cabinets... All of the fabrics in the bottom portion...the bottom 8"...soaked...bags or yarn? Soaked. Thankfully MOST of my yarn was already in plastic bins.

Did I mention yet that there were packets of RAT POISON floating in the water and that a packet floated into the apartment when I opened the door to the basement to see where the flood was coming from?

So my vintage fabrics are drenched in rat poison filled water. Ewe!!!

The owner of the building finally came to see the mess this morning and told me I'll need to pack up everything downstairs, arrange a storage unit and hire a moving company to do the move. I have to pass the costs all past the property management company ahead of time and then they'll reimberse me.

Did I mention that I leave again to Asia next Wednesday? There's no way I'll be able to pack/sort/dry everything BEFORE I go, and his team "can't get to my job" for a few weeks. I've got to pack up everything that I can and move the boxes of books (it'll be 25 or more I'm sure) upstairs before I go so they don't mold while I travel. And I'll move my sewing machine up.
I need to empty my cabinets and raise them off the floor to enable them to dry out while I'm gone.

ON A HAPPY NOTE:
I WILL be taking a few hours this weekend to go see the NYC Orchid Show at Rockerfeller Center (they usually hold it on the site of the skating ring.) It runs through Sunday! I need to go see some pretty flowers!

Tonight I'll pop out from the office for a bit with the couple whose house we swapped with in Paris. They were in NYC for two weeks. Yeah! Fun!
Back to work time!

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