Our brief story:
On Sunday August 14th, at approximately 8am, my wife, daughter, dog and I left our house (that we had just moved into 3 weeks earlier) by boat. We were rescued by what is now being called the Cajun Navy. I do not remember the names of the two individuals, only that the came over from Bruley, LA as volunteers.
Two days later we were able to return to our home. Our water level was relatively low, but as I am learning, it does not take much to cause significant damage. We had to remove all the flooring, two feet of drywall throughout the entire house, all the wet insulation, baseboards, and all the doors. Our furnishing loss could have been worse. We only lost our living room furniture, a small dining set, my daughter's two dressers, and some small bookcases and end table. My vehicle was a total loss. As of today, it still has water in the rear of the vehicle.
Currently my dog is being fostered by some great people in the New Orleans area.
We were not in a flood zone. We did not have flood insurance. One of my neighbors has lived in the neighborhood for 12 years. He has been through 3 hurricanes and has never had water in the streets.
Right now we are in the drying stage. The exposed wood must dry completely before rebuilding can start. We are meeting with contractors to start the process as soon as possible.
As for immediate needs, we are asking for gift cards to assist us with day to day expenses. We are staying with friends, so it it hard to purchase and plan meals. We have additional expenses, like rental of a storage unit for all our belonging and furniture. We were lucky that all of our clothing was saved. The only thing we really lost were a few pair of shoes each.
Scott, thank you for reaching out to me. Please let me know if you need any additional information.
- Mike