Tid Bits from a Hurricane

One of the nice points, and they are few and far between, about enduring a hurricane that causes damage to the extent we suffered is that you essentially get a new house from the insurance settlement. Thank God for insurance. The adjuster determined the house damage was very excessive before depreciation, and well the contents coverage was practically nothing since depreciation after 15 years on our stuff took away most of the value. But we're not complaining since it would have needed to be replaced anyway in the near future. And the depreciation of the house will come back to us as reappreciation once the work is completed.

As of today the roof is being replaced. We are paying for that out of pocket in order to get the place 'dried in' and while we can get materials that are in critically high demand by, well just about everyone in this area. Hopefully TWIA (Texas Wind Insurance Association) soon will at least advance us $30k of the settlement to get the work going like they have for other neighbors on our street. We're waiting, and hoping construction will be complete well before the end of the 6 months lease of the house in Friendswood arrives. It is a nice house, but it is not home.

Having a heart attack, however mild they want to call it, during a hurricane has brought about many questions from the curious. Was it less painful since it was a mild heart attack? I can best describe the pain as someone placing the heal of their foot on my chest and pressing as hard as they could. For several hours. But the pain and symptoms were different at different times. There is no words that can describe it. I'd take a heart attack anytime other than when the EMS cannot respond for 3 hours. Questions that were not asked included how much does a heart attack cost (insurance, insurance, insurance)? The ambulance ride (and I only got the police car ride since an ambulance could not navigate the route and thorugh the high wind) to the hospital costs about $2300, and the hospital stay costs about $26,000 if they don't do the stint or anything approaching surgery, just a look to see. Remember, insurance helps with all this but the deductable if you have good insurance. So it is not cheap, and there are still fees involved with tests and doctor visits afterward, and copays, and prescriptions, etc.

The biggest remembrance about all this has been the move, vacating the house and move to the lease house. My body is still hurting from all the lifting and work involved with this move (I have bad shoulders that need fixing anyhow). I hate moving. It is very hard and difficult labor that seemed to go on for weeks until we finally cleaned the last of the junk from our house, and stored box after box of who-knows-what in our lease house garage. For a man recovering from a heart condition I feel every ache and pain aggravated by the work involved in this move as though the heart attack was just a minor thing in comparison (not really). But probably the exercise was beneficial and I have lost 6 pounds or so of the 26 I need to lose. But a younger man wouldn't ache so much. :)

Coventry Ct

We moved into our lease house on the 11th while our Pearland home is remodelled. Pictures. VIDEO. The lease house is smaller but nice for a mid 30 year old home. It was remodelled to include the attached garage for living space in front of the kitchen. A separate four car garage on the corner property helps us store much of our contents which has now all finally been removed in preparation for continued mitigation and restoration. The roof still has not been replaced, however, as materials have become more difficult to obtain. Our remodeller has reroofed two of the houses on our street and is trying to get our shingles now even in advance of any insurance money. But it has been retarped after the last rain resoaked the sheetrock and insulation with so many leaks through the first tarps that were used, and we feel like progress is just around the corner.

So we finally are at home again, a home we will need for possibly the next six months.

Waiting to Move

Since Hurricane Ike quite a lot has happened. First, my mild heart attack did no heart damage and I have been active with no ill effects. Medicine and further testing will insure a full recovery. In mid December they will conduct a Nuclear Study test which is essentially a stress test with an IV inserted, as I understand it. The test will take 3 to 4 hours. But otherwise I feel good and there is much to do.

We spent some days away from our wet house after the hurricane, but after some clean up and placing plastic on the concrete floors (to keep the dust from the sheet rock off our feet) the house was livable. But there really was no place else to go. Friends had no electricity and problems of their own, and even motels were damaged or full. We found a nearby apartment unit, but it would not be ready until October 17th. The only motel we found was 20 miles away and $150 a night! And it would be a week before it was available.

So we made do with our home, much more livable after they removed the dehumidifiers and noisy fans that removed much of the moisture that could produce mold and mildew. We have eaten fast food mostly, but dining out is nice, too. While living here we continue to sort through things, preparing the damage list for the insurance claim, and boxing and moving contents to either our storage unit or to the old house I use for business and storage.

Our neighbor found a rent house and that sounded like a nice option. After finally seeing our Texas Wind insurance adjuster about a week ago we turned our attention more to the house option since now it sounds like 6 months or more before restoration of our house will be complete. Plus, we could move things out of the $200 a month storage unit into the house garage. And the contents of our house would all fit in another house, but not in an apartment and storage unit.

Yesterday we found a suitable home in Friendswood and Saturday we have a moving company set to move us from our house and storage unit. Just in time as rain has already leaked past the roof tarp once recently, and more rain is expected soon. With us out of the way our remodeling company is hoping to have an advance from the insurance company and begin roofing and finish gutting the interior of the house. Just about all the sheet rock will be removed. But with so many homes damaged and in need of work the demand for materials and labor will be very high, delaying things we expect at times during the course of the restoration. But at least things are happening finally and next year we will have a new home after all the work is completed.

See more pictures of our house after some clean up to make it livable