3 Inches

Three inches...that is what we are struggling to keep the water levels below in our basement.  Thanks to hurricane Irene, Lee and Katia we have the makings of an indoor swimming pool.

Today we woke up to more rain, checked to see if our sump pump was running and then left for work.  Well about 30 minutes into our work commute, my Dad called to say he stopped in to check on us and found the sump pump was on and "humming" but not pumping.  So back home we went to hook up our second pump.  Justin and Dave, my pseudo-father-in-law, took the other one apart and got it working again. Currently we have one pump draining into the built in drain in the basement, the other is pumping out through a hose out the basement window and into our driveway.

My neighbor says that our basement never took water, but I have a hard time believing that.  All I can say is that although I am frustrated in my own flooding situation, I am totally heartbroken for those in Schoharie, Schenectady, Middleburgh and the surrounding townships who were attempting recovery but are yet again under water.  If you have not yet donated and are unable to assist physically with the relief efforts, please visit the Red Cross online, stop by your local Price Chopper, or call your local fire department to inquire as to making a donation.

Well Hello Irene

Sunday we were hit pretty hard by hurricane Irene.  I can most definitely say I was surprised.  We're pretty far inland in upstate NY and somehow she still managed to wreak havoc.  The wind and rain started pretty early in the morning and continued right through until we went to bed.  This made for an interesting day to say the least: 

Rain, when coming down inches at a time, can fill an entire basement with 8-10inches of water in less than an hour.  Note that said basement was already equipped with a sump pump capable of 3150 gallons per hour.  Needless to say we had to purchase a second sump pump just to keep up.

Generators, for whatever reason, are hard to come by when you need them.  We had to travel forty minutes in the storm to purchase a generator to keep our sump pump running when the power went out.

Flash floods are a freak of nature.  They can make a previously tame road a raging river in a matter of minutes.  Our post office learned how to stand its ground in one such flash flood.

And lastly, dachshunds do not like rain even when donning a stylish red raincoat.

I find it so bizarre that yesterday could be so God awful and yet today it's absolutely beautiful out (aside from the residual water puddles and rushing rivers/streams, of course). I was able to successfully make it into work today, however my husband could not.  Travel going east and southbound in NYS was near impossible with many road closures due to flooding and downed trees and power lines.  Word on the street is the main routes he'd need to take may still be closed through 6pm tomorrow!  I guess I'll just have to leave him a nice long honey-do list to keep him busy.  He's already mopped the floors for me today... I could really get used to this.

Anwho, how did you fare through Irene?  I hope you all manage to stay safe and dry!