31 May 2011

A Tempest and Water Spouts

"Leaf Litter" - A stack of palm fronds we collected in the backyard

Since Sunday, 29 May, we've been in a tempest. There have been high winds, hail, and rain falling in heavy sheets. Today is the first day of winter, June 1, the wet season has begun.

Standing water in the lower level

All that heavy rain has resulted in flooding in the house, again. The drain outside our front door gets overwhelmed by heavy rain. Since the floor of the house is lower then the outside entrance, the water comes down into the house and under the garage door. After the water came in on Sunday night, and again on Monday night, I got serious and bought some sandbags and plastic to barricade the front door and the garage. I hope it helps.


Plastic and sandbags barricade the garage and front door

When seen on radar, the clouds are circling around, collecting water from the sea and depositing it directly onto us. There were water spouts reported right next to our house. Here are some photos and a video of the water spout. For photos, click on the links at the words "photo" and "video" in the last sentence.

The collapsed shed roof that probably caused the flood in the girl's room

On Monday morning, I checked the lower level at 7:20am. Everything seemed good. The water outside had receded and there wasn't much standing water on the tiles. I was surprise when Zoe went to her room and reported that it was flooded. Sure enough, the carpet was soaked.

Soaked and smelly carpet in the girls room

I believe it was the shed roof collapsing, presumably with a lot of water on it that caused the flooding in the girls room. That gush of water fell into a place that normally stays dry. It found it's way through the wall of the girls' room. I rented a Wet Vac to help dry the carpet. We have the heat on and a fan blowing to help it too. It smells like an old, wet sneaker. It could be the carpet is ruined.

Clara and Zoe camped out in the dining room. We don't know when we'll be able to move them back downstairs to their room.

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