by FoxChess » Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:34 pm
There isn't too much to update, really. The city got back water and sewage, and parts are getting back electricity. I've been letting my parents take care of the insurance because I have no idea what to do regarding all that.
Mostly my folks have been doing packing, and it turns out we have to pack EVERYTHING in the house and send it to the attic, because we may have to replace all the drywall in the house (It's old and thin, and the insulation could have wicked up quite a bit of the water, which may have been dirty with sewage due to being higher than the toilet). I've mainly been staying at the house we're staying in, to watch over my cat, and to keep my grandmother company (Who, due to a heart transplant, can't stay in the city very long).
At the same time though, there's been the occasional event that restored some faith in humanity. For example, several days ago, while my aunt and uncle were cleaning out my grandmother's house, two people walked up and said they were there to help take the carpet out. And before long over half a dozen more people showed up to do that. They took no money, nor even any spare water bottles that were offered. No idea who they were.
It's upsetting what happened to me, but at the same time I realize how I have it better than some others. I have family close by who love us and are helping as much as they can. My aunt from California just arrived to help for a week, some family in Pittsburgh sent some money to help... and even though we lost a fair amount, there were others in the city who lost more. A block away from my grandmother's house, nine houses burned down. And just two doors away from me, water rushed into a neighbor's basement so hard, it undermined the foundation and left sinkholes. I haven't had it the worst... but I worry, and hope that things get better faster than expected. Current predictions are that we won't be home for around three months.... hopefully, it's less.
On the plus side of this whole thing, my Dad, as an architect, is getting more work. Small positives, I guess.