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Originally Posted by !@#$%!
so what's the outlook? have you been to the place? is it fixable? what's the plan?
and how are you managing? i really appreciated your post from some weeks ago when you expressed gratitude instead of feelings of doom, and you were determined to prevail, as you said.
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We have returned several times. We were able to salvage pictures hanging on the walls, some clothing hanging in closets, most everything that was stacked / stored high. Before evacuating our home, we spent time placing things on top of beds......thinking the water would only rise a foot or two inside the home. Every bed in the home was submerged in flood waters, it was over the kitchen countertops.
Before all of this, we had a small foundation issue. Unsure if it was the weight of the water or the fast flowing current (furniture from one room was found in other rooms), but we now have a MAJOR foundation problem. There is buckling and shifting throughout the house, you can see major separation of exterior brick (mostly corners) on all four corners. The term for this is being "washed under."
Our FEMA Inspector came out Monday morning, spent about an hour documenting everything and by that night, $21k had been deposited into our account. FEMA only covers contents and interior damage. Our home was roughly valued at $130k and it was paid for. Unfortunately, we didn't have flood insurance. We've always had homeowners and windstorm......neither cover rising water.
I've had multiple contractors look at my home and each advised not trying to fix the foundation. Doing so would cost $50k+ and each believes we will start experiencing the same tiny foundation issues" in 5+ years.
During times of disaster when FEMA is involved, the Small Business Administration makes loans available at a interest rate of 1.5%. We've applied for a SBA loan and are still waiting to see if we are approved. So many have been denied, so our fingers are crossed. Can't say I like the thought of starting a 30 year mortgage the year I turn 49 years of age, but building a new home or buying a newer built home has many advantages......there are so many things to consider.
You asked how we are managing??? Sometimes I think we are doing extremely well and other times I know we are just a shell of who we once were. Not that we've changed for the worse, but you do change a bit when you don't have a home. Now please don't feel too sorry for us as we are living in the lap of luxury at my Aunts house. She is well to do and her home reflects this......so we have an in ground heated swimming pool with hot tub, a jacuzzi tub and multihead glasses shower that would hold its own compared to the high roller suits in Vegas. She has welcomed us to say as long as it's needed, even if it takes a year and we are so grateful for her hospitality, but it still not home.
We are beat down tired at times, physically and mentally but things are slowly getting better. Serious decisions will soon need to be made, the type of decisions that change the rest of your life.
Last but not least, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts about how you live now. Flood waters play no favorites, they force you to purge many things from your life and in the end, there is a blessing to this.