Where Do You Start?

[Diggin It]

A storm rolls through and this is what you're left with.

(Somewhere near St. Louis)

 

[Joe Hickerson]

Pray for guidance where to start. Hopefully these folks survived and family and friends step in to help!

 

[Doofy]

I don't know how or why some of these folks "Start Over" time after time. I understand "Home" but the heartbreak and expense would wear me down eventually and I would move. I feel for these people.

 

[oosik]

I'm with Doofy on this situation. Why don't folks gather their treasurers and move. The heartbreak must be profound.

What would I do. Rummage thru that pictured mess - gather my treasures and move elsewhere.

Going to stay and rebuild. Gather your treasurers - hire a dozer - push into a large pile - burn. Can't burn - large front end loader - into dump trucks - off to the local landfill site.

 

[Midniteoyl]

A storm rolls through and this is what you're left with.

(Somewhere near St. Louis)

Insurance.

 

[JasperFrank]

Who didn't install the hurricane clips?

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I would start with a call to my insurance agent.

After that, I would start to salvage lumber. The wood should be fine. The point of failure is almost always the connection, so pull a few nails, stack it, and cover it to keep it from getting wet and rotting. Insurance should rebuild the house, but you could probably salvage enough to frame an outbuilding.

You might salvage a few personal things, but most of us have a house full of stuff we don't really need.

 

[Jchonline]

A storm rolls through and this is what you're left with.

(Somewhere near St. Louis)

Find a place to stay
Calling your Insurance company!
Gathering anything you dont want stolen or that could be damaged by more weather (rain/snow/etc).

 

[Doofy]

Wildfire is about my only real fear. At 2500' elevation, I have no fear of flooding and our old house rides out the earthquakes very well. There are a couple of volcanos 30 or 40 miles away but they have been fairly quiet for the past 100 years.

I couldn't live in Tornado Alley, in a Flood Plain or anywhere close to Hurricane Country. I sincerely believe in the Law of Averages and like to hedge my bets.

 

[oosik]

Hi Doofy. I hear you on your sentiments. Last flood here was over 15,000 years ago. During the last ice age. If the wind blows 40 mph - we get excited. Large half-ring of giant Ponderosa pines protects the house & out buildings.

I'm at 2300 feet and wildfire is always a fall concern. Recorded history shows no earthquakes in this area. There is alway Mt St Helens - but we survived that once.

 

[Thomas]

Find good living location for the family until insurance company gives you the green light to clean up.

 

[Doofy]

Hi Doofy. I hear you on your sentiments. Last flood here was over 15,000 years ago. During the last ice age. If the wind blows 40 mph - we get excited. Large half-ring of giant Ponderosa pines protects the house & out buildings.

I'm at 2300 feet and wildfire is always a fall concern. Recorded history shows no earthquakes in this area. There is alway Mt St Helens - but we survived that once.

Good Morning oosik. The Copper Basin was once a giant lake, way, way back when Alaska was a tropical paradise. Tolsona mountain is loaded with fern and sea shell fossils. This place would have been a sight to see!

 

[dadiehl]

We talk about this often. At what point do the insurance companies say we’re not doing business here. Some places get hit constantly.

 

[Gem99ultra]

Who didn't install the hurricane clips?

I have this feeling that hurricane clips would not have saved this house. Right?

 

[bcp]

Change the building code to encourage a different style construction.

Bruce

 

[coobie]

Change the building code to encourage a different style construction.

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Bruce

Unless there's a fire with minimal escape routes I like earth berm homes.

 

[Midniteoyl]

Change the building code to encourage a different style construction.

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Bruce

As much as I like earth homes, they all leak w/in a few years.

 

[check]

Change the building code to encourage a different style construction.

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Bruce

Hobbit houses! Gotta love ‘em.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

Unless there's a fire with minimal escape routes I like earth berm homes.

I have built an earth sheltered home. The only rooms that require code egress are "habitable" rooms. The kitchen, utility, bathroom, closets, storage, etc. are not considered habitable, so only the bedrooms and family spaces like living room or family room require emergency egress. You line up all the non-habitable rooms along the back wall, and all the habitable rooms on the front. Kitchen codes may vary, but I'm not aware of any code that allows exiting through a kitchen. Since earth sheltered homes are typically heated with passive solar, they have open floor plans.