Hurricane Harvey

     On August 24-25, the monster storm named Harvey made landfall near Port Aransas, TX. The beast moved very slowly and hung around dumping unbelievable rainfall amounts on the Texas Gulf Coast and the Houston area. Those who are familiar with entries in this blog know that we have an RV property where we stay during the winter months near the Houston area. We were in Wisconsin and could only sit and watch the podcasts from the KHOU news station. We were in contact with management and friends who were still at the RV property and could do nothing as the waters began to rise as a result of unprecedented releases from the dam at Lake Livingston. Massive quantities of rain fell and flooding was the result.

The Casita. The grill on the outdoor kitchen is in the background

The grill on the left, the new shed on the right

     We cut our stay at Beantown Campground short and made our way south to survey the damage and assess what our next step was to be. Ironically, we had recently made the decision that we were going to come off the road as "Full Time RVers" and downsize our RV. We had also begun the process to order and set up a Park Model on our RV pad. This Park Model was a "tiny home" (399 sq. ft.) and would take the place of the large motorhome we currently live in. We would trade that motorhome in on a smaller, more compact rig that we could use for shorter duration trips to interesting destinations. Thus our place at The Preserve would become more of a home base and less of a storage and temporary stopping point. Hurricane Harvey caused us to seriously reconsider our decision and make some new choices. We're still going to go to part time RVing, we're still downsizing the rig, but instead of the Park Model we will be buying a Townhouse in an area of Houston that did not see flooding during this catastrophe.

     We only had the pictures above to go on and could only imagine the damage until we arrived on site. The plant supplying water to the property was destroyed during the flood so no running water was available on our site. Luckily the Property Owners Association (POA) had water so we could fill water containers to use for cleaning. They also supplied bottled water for cooking and drinking uses.

Casita A/C compressor. High water line was just below the big breaker box on the left

     Upon arrival we surveyed the property and the high water line looked to be about 53" inside the buildings!! The A/C units had floated off of their pads and were on their sides. A quick check by our A/C tech showed both were in working condition!! This made things a little more bearable as the temps and humidity were both in the 90's! Unfortunately, within a couple of days the Spa's unit went out and we had to have a new one installed.

     Once inside the Casita, the damage was readily apparent. The cabinets that we installed last year had "melted", collapsing under their own weight. Hard to see in the photo, but the TV has a scummy waterline about midway up the screen. In the bottom picture, the lower picture on the wall has a white border that has yellowed with the water. What is not apparent in this, or any photo, is the "aroma" of wet, soggy stuff.

     Inside the Spa didn't fare much better. The full size stacked washer/dryer sitting in the corner was toast. We opened the door of the dryer (the one on top) and there was still flood water in the drum!!!

Remember the grill in the flood pictures above? That's it above the soggy couch on the right side of this pic.

     So the process began whereby we hauled out the wet, soggy, ruined belongings and stacked them up outside. We then bought a Bagster at Home Depot. This is a heavy duty bag of sorts that you can fill with construction and household debris. Waste Management then will come by and pick it up and haul it off. We decided to buy a small 5x8 utility trailer and put the Bagster in it like a liner. We then filled it, tarped and tied it down, then hauled it to the landfill ourselves. Much less expensive and a good excuse to get into the air conditioning to cool off.

     Next came the demolition of the wall boards. The Hardyboard plank siding we used was in pretty good shape but the insulation was nothing but a sponge. We ripped the walls off up to 8' and removed the insulation. We also had to trash the floor as it wouldn't dry out and the adhesive that held the planks together was falling apart. Once everything was exposed, we gave it a good cleaning and followed it up with a Clorox bath. It was then left to sit for several days to dry out. Our Pest Control guy had a solution which is used in new construction that is Borax based and soaks into the wood. This stuff kills termites and any other wood eating insect. It has a side benefit in that it inhibits the formation of mold! Once the interior was dried out, we had him come treat both buildings.

     We had the AC guy install the new compressors but this time we had them mounted on the wall ABOVE the high water line. Odds are we won't see a flood of this magnitude again in our lifetime but why take chances.

     Then off to Home Depot for a little insulation. Need to do something to keep from air conditioning all of southeast Texas!!

     So the insulation was placed in the walls and just lightly tacked in. That is where it sits now. We have some plans for the future rebuild, but we are going to give it some time so our bank account can recover somewhat.

     On the bright side, while we lost a good deal of stuff, it was only just that... stuff. All of it can be replaced and the important/irreplacable things we had with us. We had a home to live in (the motorhome) and were not like many others who lost everything. While yes, it's an expensive venture, we will rebuild but will do it mindful of the probability of future flooding. We have some ideas that will minimize damages and make repair and recovery easier. It will not be as fancy as before, it will be more like a rustic "cabin in the woods". We will not use it for a semi permanent abode but more for a short getaway retreat. We now are the proud owners of a Townhouse where we will keep a majority of our possessions, trinkets, and toys safe and dry. Besides, I need something to keep me busy over the winter right !?!?