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Worst Day of My Life

Yesterday has to rank as one of the worst days of my life.

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First, I want to preface that my experience yesterday does not compare to a death in the family, divorce, a sick child, miscarriage or terminal illness. Those are tragedies. Those are painful experiences that span long time frames.

While what happened yesterday was challenging and emotional, it was not a tragedy. It’s something that we will overcome.

Tuesday night, I welcomed the pitter-patter of the rain and I reflected on the peace and quiet of our home. My husband was traveling for work, so I was alone in bed. My mom was asleep on the couch; she was helping out since Dean was away for the week. Baby Franco was being so good, sleeping through the night alone in the nursery.

At 4:30am, Franco woke up. When I opened the door to the nursery, he propped his head up and flashed a big grin. I took one step up to enter his room and dipped into a pool of water. The nursery and the adjacent bathroom were covered in half an inch of water.

“Oh God! My baby!” I screamed as I waded my way over to Franco’s smiling face. His crib was a protected island in a room that had flooded. I scooped him up and kept muttering, “Oh my baby. My poor baby.” Thankfully he was ok, but I was in shock.

My mom who is paranoid by nature made me even more emotional. She scolded, “This is why I told you Franco needs to sleep in your room. I knew having him on the other side of the house was a bad idea. Can you imagine if we found him this morning underwater?!”

“Mom! You are not helping.” I cried as I held Franco in my arms. I asked my mom to hold Franco while I made phone calls.

Luckily Dean is in Boston this week. I knew I could reach him with the time difference. He was very calm, probably because he couldn’t see the extent of the damage!

Next up, I made a handful of calls to plumbers. I got through to someone who came over at 6am. If you’re in San Francisco, call Fast Response. They are the best! The plumber said it wasn’t a plumbing issue. He placed a call on my behalf to a water damage recovery company. In addition, I made more calls to other repair companies. Because the rain was so bad Tuesday night, plumbers and the water recovery companies were booked solid.

Someone finally did come to suck the water out. A dehumidifier is running 24/7. The rooms are a wreck and unlivable. The hardwood floors are unsalvageable. Apparently the walls need to be opened up and dried. We are at high risk of a mold problem.

Earlier in the morning, I also sent a frantic text to my real estate agent. “Help! Two rooms in our home are flooded. Isn’t the remodel work guaranteed?” I was alluding to our property being a brand new remodel when we purchased it.

He called me later on in the day, “I don’t know if this will make you feel better but three other clients had flooding in their home.”

We are going to work with the seller and the contractor who did the work to assess the damage and see what can be done. That’s where we’re at. Our home is a disaster, but everyone is safe which is all that matters.

I am so very thankful to live near family. My dad drove over immediately. My parents spent all morning trying to mop up as much water as possible, dealing with the different contractors, then laundering about 100 towels! They deserve a medal for handling everything, allowing me to come into the office to work, and urging Dean to stay in Boston to finish out his work week. He would have otherwise high-tailed it home.

I was a mess yesterday, but trying to take deep breaths. I’m grateful as it seems like all the parties involved (real estate, insurance, contractors) are trying to help.

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12.04.14

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Comments

  1. Janine Huldie

    December 4, 2014 at 4:02 pm

    Omg, I would have been a mess, too. Just glad you had help and did get it cleaned up, but still I just felt so sorry and bad for you reading that this is what you woke up to at 4:30 am.

    Reply
  2. Tamara

    December 4, 2014 at 5:50 pm

    Oh, so scary! Glad you’re all ok and I can see that your mom’s comment wouldn’t have helped. What’s important is that everyone is ok! And I really hope the damage isn’t too bad.

    Reply
  3. Don Muridan

    December 4, 2014 at 9:05 pm

    I’m so sorry. That’s horrible. Very happy baby Franco is okay.

    Reply
  4. Holly

    December 5, 2014 at 4:38 pm

    Oh, what a shock that would be. I’m so glad everyone was ok and safe. As for the mold, yes it can grow quickly. Tea tree oil will kill black mold so if you need to clean anything be sure to look that up online. We went through Hurricane Ivan in Fl in 04 and when the walls get wet they must be taken down to where it is dry before they put anything new up again.

    Sorry for the hassle it all is!

    Reply
  5. AwesomelyOZ

    December 7, 2014 at 5:05 pm

    Whoa! That’s scary! Happy to hear you’re all safe and well.. Glad everything is being well taken care of 🙂 It’s wonderful that you had family with you to assist! My mom is the same way, she thinks she’s helping but says things that make me more paranoid. lol.. Hope things are well!! Take Care Catherine! -Iva

    Reply
  6. Mo at Mocadeaux

    December 7, 2014 at 8:06 pm

    Water damage is awful. Hoping the repairs are swift and not too costly. And happy that everyone is safe!

    Reply
  7. Kate

    December 8, 2014 at 8:32 am

    I’m so sorry you are dealing with this- glad Franco was fine and smiling though!!

    Reply
  8. Dana

    December 8, 2014 at 4:58 pm

    I’m so sorry, Catherine – what a mess! At least Franco had no clue what was going on. I hope you can get everything repaired with as little hassle as possible.

    Reply
  9. Nikki

    December 9, 2014 at 7:02 am

    Wow, what a nightmare! Hadn’t you bought that house just in the last year or so, too? I’m sorry to hear that such an unfortunate event has happened to your sweet little family 🙁 The rain must have been pretty bad! Prayers to you and your husband as you manage the repair process.

    Reply
  10. cece @Pink Sunshine

    December 10, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    Ugh! What a nightmare especially after just barely moving in and with a baby. Wow. That is crazy how much flooding that was. I hope the issue is resolved. That little pitfall that can be home ownership!!!

    Reply
  11. Gracielle

    December 13, 2014 at 8:56 pm

    YIKES! That’s so scary. Glad to hear no one was harmed, especially your baby! I hope everything gets repaired and/or replaced quickly so you can put this all behind you in time for the holidays!

    Reply

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Welcome to my site, derived from an advice column I wrote while getting my MBA. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I give helpful, opinionated advice based on my own experience and from the expertise of my extensive network. For more, click here.

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