I think one of the reasons I didn't write here so often for quite some time is that a lot of my life has turned into involving other people's stories, not just my own. 911 is all about incidents I can't really talk about. Church often involves things that I can't talk about because they concern other people's privacy. And all the flood work has to do with putting back together people's lives, and talking a lot about their stories seems to make me feel odd, as it's really theirs to tell, not really mine.
So I haven't been writing that much about the flood victims and the lives we're putting back together, but I may be shortchanging them and myself in that estimate.
Today we threaded blanket insulation behind the 2x4's of the framing in the basement. It had all been taken out by two volunteer crews that did a great job of gutting out all the drywall, insulation, and carpeting in the basement, which sustained four feet of water down there. That was so that the disinfecting crews could get in there, and then a clean up crew to get most of the mud and yuck out. This neighborhood had mostly flooded through a sewer system that backed up in all the houses from overflowing with the water, so... yeah... I'm glad someone else did the cleanup.
We just ripped up the last of the carpeting tacks, the staples, and then put insulation up all around the basement for every wall that stood to the outside. Fiberglass is inexpensive, less flammable, and when plastic covered, pretty easy to handle. We had filters on, and gloves, but, as always, I itch after and am sneezing a lot. *laughs* We got a four foot tall layer everywhere they'd taken out the old insulation and drywall that had gotten wet, and we put another four foot layer to the ceiling on the parts that didn't have framing.
It was all for a lady who had leg troubles, and she couldn't really get around, and she was so very grateful for all the volunteers. The original estimate she'd been given to have her basement redone was $7000 and the second bid was even higher, and it wasn't something she could afford. The insurance and FEMA payments hadn't added up to nearly enough to pay that, so she really depended on us volunteers.
The couple we were working with had come in contact with her brother, and reminded them that the church was doing work for those that couldn't make ends meet, so that is why they decided they really wanted to work on this project. They also only had Sunday afternoons free as a couple, so we'd made the extra time for them. John usually only goes Monday through Friday in the mornings, and sometimes a Saturday for others.
So we worked for just three hours and got all the insulation in, taped together, and the whole of the stairs cleaned up and ready to go. John and I pulled all the old outlet boxes, they had to be replaced along with the wiring. The old wiring is going to be recycled to help pay for the materials, and it was a good day's work.
So I haven't been writing that much about the flood victims and the lives we're putting back together, but I may be shortchanging them and myself in that estimate.
Today we threaded blanket insulation behind the 2x4's of the framing in the basement. It had all been taken out by two volunteer crews that did a great job of gutting out all the drywall, insulation, and carpeting in the basement, which sustained four feet of water down there. That was so that the disinfecting crews could get in there, and then a clean up crew to get most of the mud and yuck out. This neighborhood had mostly flooded through a sewer system that backed up in all the houses from overflowing with the water, so... yeah... I'm glad someone else did the cleanup.
We just ripped up the last of the carpeting tacks, the staples, and then put insulation up all around the basement for every wall that stood to the outside. Fiberglass is inexpensive, less flammable, and when plastic covered, pretty easy to handle. We had filters on, and gloves, but, as always, I itch after and am sneezing a lot. *laughs* We got a four foot tall layer everywhere they'd taken out the old insulation and drywall that had gotten wet, and we put another four foot layer to the ceiling on the parts that didn't have framing.
It was all for a lady who had leg troubles, and she couldn't really get around, and she was so very grateful for all the volunteers. The original estimate she'd been given to have her basement redone was $7000 and the second bid was even higher, and it wasn't something she could afford. The insurance and FEMA payments hadn't added up to nearly enough to pay that, so she really depended on us volunteers.
The couple we were working with had come in contact with her brother, and reminded them that the church was doing work for those that couldn't make ends meet, so that is why they decided they really wanted to work on this project. They also only had Sunday afternoons free as a couple, so we'd made the extra time for them. John usually only goes Monday through Friday in the mornings, and sometimes a Saturday for others.
So we worked for just three hours and got all the insulation in, taped together, and the whole of the stairs cleaned up and ready to go. John and I pulled all the old outlet boxes, they had to be replaced along with the wiring. The old wiring is going to be recycled to help pay for the materials, and it was a good day's work.
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