Basement Floodaphobia

FROM: Terry M.
DATE: Tuesday April 3, 2001 -- 12:23:19AM

I have also bought a bunch of those 40 gallon rubbermaid containers, but I bought them at TGT instead. :-) They are better than cardboard boxes, to be sure.

I am paranoid about basement flooding also. What I do is rent a storage space, where I keep the bulk of my stuff in storage. They are generally elevated (thus flood-proof). You can even get environmentally regulated ones. They are definitely worth it, IMHO. The only problem is, you may not get 24 hour access, so if your computer's power supply breaks down in the middle of the night, you have to wait until the next day to get your spare.

My real fear is a fire. One advantage of a storage space is, if either place burns down, you still have half your stuff. (OTOH, the chance of one burning down is twice as high, so I guess it evens out). But, I am generally less prepared for a fire, than for a flood.

Another advantge of a storage space is, that since you have to pay for it, you really have to think twice about accumulating more junk. But that hasn't stopped me. :-)

FROM: liz
DATE: Tuesday April 3, 2001 -- 2:49:07AM

i've never lived in a house that has a basement.

all our extra crap is in the garage.

FROM: Kim
DATE: Tuesday April 3, 2001 -- 8:20:34AM

A flood would be nature's way of making be get ride of crap in my basement. Like my great grandmother's tax stuff circa 1965 or my Mother's prom dress circa 1959 or 10 years worth of wrapping paper litter. You get the drift. But for important stuff the big plastic boxes are good, however, don't load them so full you can't move them. :)

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Tuesday April 3, 2001 -- 9:22:16AM

Kim -- It's funny you say that... I actually do have rocks in one of the containers! :)

Just a few that my grandfather had collected for me on a trip to Arizona... and they're not terribly heavy.

Come to think of it -- they're rocks. They probably don't need to be in a floodproof container.

FROM: Matt
DATE: Tuesday April 3, 2001 -- 11:03:26AM

As I already told you Ryan our basement flooded. But all the crap down there that was mine isn't a big deal to me anymore, and none of it got ruined. Luckily I store my records in my bedroom, otherwise I would be vexed.

FROM: dave
DATE: Sunday February 17, 2002 -- 3:56:36 pm

well, I live in a high-rise, so I don't have a basement. instead, yesterday had a flood in my living room. some incompetent contractor screwed up the plumbing or something and a pipe burst, sending water first down my walls, then through cracks in my ceiling, then crashing through my ceiling. the biggest irony is that this happened precisely 3 weeks before i was going to move. at least i managed to salvege most of my stuff before the ceiling caved in.

i now get jumpy whenever i hear water moving through pipes.

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Friday August 16, 2002 -- 12:41:00 am

Odd that dave was the last to comment on this Ping -- he was over my house tonight and detected a puddle on my basement floor... turns out it was a basement flood in the making! Thanks, pal -- now my basement is safe and dry!

FROM:
DATE: Saturday January 1, 2005 -- 3:15:26 pm