thank you so much guys... your support really helps float me during these times.

Willie - i've got most utilities, TV, internet, etc. phone is really the biggest problem. many it takes me 10 tries to get a single call to go. and getting long distance is very difficult... almost impossible.
i've actually started my new job this week as well, so i'm pretty dang busy.

Hoat -- i'd rather a Richter 5 quake vs a Cat 5 hurricane.
it's hard to compare the two -- clearly both are simply horrible.

Andy -- YES! the amateur radio guys have often been the only way they are getting any info in and out of the city and it's surroundings.


update for me now...

still no word on our house in Waveland... not even photo or video feeds anywhere nearby. it bodes ill that the press can't even get there.

we were able to get to my sister's home. it's standing and in really good shape. some minor roof damage with missing shingles, she's missing chunks of fence, some slight damage to exterior and her back shed, but nothing that would prevent her moving back in and living life relatively normal (once utilities come back)... this is all very very good news.
at the moment however, more and more news comes in from the Gulfcoast. it's looking worse by the day, and is getting lost in the news about New Orleans.



we're going to encourage her to make her claim now. we want to see my parents house soon as well, so we can make claims asap as well. problem is -- if you call w/o damages, they can't help you. and if you can't get in (but know you aren't flooded), you can't assess damage at all.

honestly? last estimates we heard regarding Katrina had the models showing losses in the HIGH TWENTY BILLIONS range (27 Billion was one number i heard) for the entire New Orleans and Gulf Coast strike zone... not even including the upper Mississippi and Eastern areas.
no insurance company or group of major insurance companies can handle that. i have to believe the federal government will step in.
only Andrew is close to this kind of damage... what happened then? anyone remember?




and the exhaust? very nice. it's hard to say if it's worth the money or not. i was able to snag it locally for $500 and pick it up. for that much? very worth the money for me. it's a nice growl without being overwhelming and has none of the obnoxious drone. in vtec, my intake overwhelms it though (at least in the car)... off of surrounding bridges, etc. i can hear it and it sounds good...

 

personal updates:

i've mentioned this one elsewhere... thankfully, we were able to visit my sister's home. it is ok except for some shingle damage (not extreme), and some minor external damage to a shed she had... of course, big chunks of her fence are gone.

her and her family are ok. they plan to return sometime this week w/ a supply of propane, gas, a generator, drinking water, and other foods and hunker it out till the power comes back... the main reason for this is because they're currently in Cleveland, Tx, and my bro-in-law has been called to return to work.


now -- the new, but bad news:
my father and i snuck back to the family house that my grandfather and great grandfather built in Waveland, MS during the 40's/50's. it's just about the only house on the block with standing walls. it was all tongue in groove construction from old cypress sitting on piers, but right now, it looks really bad. it appears that the 'spine' of the house is broken and it's thrown way off it's piers. best we can tell, the house floated about 8-10 feet high and banged amongst the trees on that lot, while it filled with water.
the WWII era barrack we used for a shed has been destroyed and our possessions are scattered everywhere.
the house is full of mud and looks like a giant picked it up and shook it like an etch-a-sketch.
while out there big pine and oak trees numbering in the 1000's are down -- snapped like toothpicks. we had a whole bunch down in our modest 1 acre yard, and still faired better than many.
we were able to get some precious family possessions out (which is good), but a great deal is lost and the house is potentially destroyed.
when i have time, i'll try and post a few pictures of what we saw... the devastation there is greater than anything i've seen yet on the news... i don't understand why they aren't getting covered.


does anyone know about what services FEMA offers for destroyed homes?

(copied another post of mine from elsewhere)

just so you guys can have an idea of what we're seeing down here...

my father (exiled from NO) and i snuck into the Mississippi Gulf Coast area (Waveland, MS to be specific, which is near Bay St. Louis, and West of Biloxi/Gulfport, and was on the edge of the eye of the storm.)

we have a family home there that my grandfather and great grandfather built during the 40's/50's. it was mostly old cypress and all built via tongue and groove. it survived Camille in '69, but didn't fare as well this storm. however, it was one of the only standing (you can call it standing) structures that we saw all day, so clearly it was built well.
this are unaltered (except for resizing) photos of the area, including the streets near where we lived, and a little quaint downtown area:
so this is 100% clear -- this is NOT our actual 'live in home', but a summer beach type home that the family shared. it is 3 blocks from the beach.

here's the neighborhood - these streets were lined with nice little houses and the area was extremely shaded due to all the trees.



here's the downtown area that was just packed with quaint little shops and businesses:




here was our house a couple years ago:

note all the homes you can see in the background... they simply do not exist today.

here was our home yesterday:





now, if ANYONE can tell me what these markings mean, i would be VERY appreciative... please...

 

I would bet its not good Phil given the condition of the house...

 

PJK3,

It's a relief to know you and your relatives got through it. Thanks for keeping us updated.

You asked about the markings on your house. I happened to see something about this on TV yesterday.

The date and time are when the house was inspected by a rescue crew.

The zeroes mean that no one was found inside and no hazards exist inside.

I'm not sure about the "AL HR5". It might identify the person or crew that actually performed the inspection.

 

Based on the look of the home (from a home inspector's point of view) it is probably salvagable. If you can take some photos of UNDER the home, to see if there are any snapped joists / girders, that will be the real indicator. Is the home still on its concrete support piers? I see in the photo that part seems to have fallen off. If it is relatively close, you can probably get a few mobile home jacks ($75 from mobile home supply store) and jack the corners up to level, dig out new pads, fill with concrete, then re-block with re-bar reinforcement. You will wan to make sure that you have hurricane clips installed this time (they probably were not required in the 40's / 50's). These are strips of galvanized steel that wrap over the bottom plates of the walls, and bolt into the sides of the concrete piers. This will prevent the house from "floating" again.

Looks like, based on landmarks, that the home is roughly 8' closer to the fence than before (like you said....floating and banging against the trees). If the county requires you to move the home (set back requirements), there are companies who specialize in this stuff. The set 2 steel I-beams under the home, jack it up onto an 18-wheeler and move it where ever the hell you want. Should be cheaper than re-building.

With all that being said, if you can get a good settlement on the property, you can probably build a better home (and up on pile driven piers at that).

Just a few comments from a contractor here in FL.

John

 

John (dk)- yeah, none of this really looks any good.

dierk -- thanks for the info. i've posted that same stuff in a few threads, and most of the answers are coming back agreeing w/ what you're saying.

John (jw) - i have a ton of photos of the house. as best we can tell, the house is not on any piers, but the center of the house is resting on the steps from the old porch that was out front (which we can find no signs of). my uncle has some experience with moving homes, and he also thinks it may be salvagable if the primary floor joists are solid. i sent him a very big collection of house pictures, and we're waiting to see what he says.

the old piers were essentially cinderblocks that (i think) were filled with concrete. there were 3 rows of piers down the length of the house. the house has shifted (essentially) 1 row over. i suspect most of the piers are not standing. this is the 2nd time the house has floated and set down (Camille being the first). during Camille though, it landed a bit closer to center, and it was just a matter of shifting the house around a bit.

if you want, i can shoot you some other pics for more opinion/guesstimation if you'd like. how far are we from you? need some work?

 

well, just updating....

my sister and husband (and kids) are back in their home. they have power, phone, and sewer, but still have to boil water. Slidell is still pretty hard hit, but they are doing well. the good news for them is that they both have retained their jobs as well. my sister's school (she's an elementary teacher) was all but destroyed, but they are finding her a position elsewhere.

we're attempting to clean up and access the house in Waveland. i believe my Dad is hoping to save it, but in the end, it's his call.


now -- here's the real reason i posted.

as you might note in my sig...
"just confirmed. house and S are completely gone."
this is the story and situation of our Community Organizer. if you've not already visited this thread, i encourage you to do so... Mark and Caroline are great people, and this situation just stinks....
for those of you who've already jumped in... thank you SO much. your friendship and loyalty are priceless to me.

 

Glad to hear you are relatively OK Phil Thank you for all the updates! It really brings this horrible calamity close to home for us. Please reach out to me if our business can help your sister in any way!

 

Phil-

I am about 5+ hours away, so I will probably not be able to do anything, not to mention I am licensed only in the state of FL. I can come over on a weekend, or something, seeing as I have some friends in Pensacola. How far is the house from Pensacola? A few hours?

As far as just putting the house back, if it is insured, they might not allow that. They might require that any house in that area now be built on a post system, to prevent this type of thing from happening again.

It is a good thing that it "floated," because if it were tied down, like is required here in FL for wind code reasons, it would have been submerged and demolished. If it is insured, I would see about just totalling it out (the value of it has probably skyrocketed in the past 2-3 years) and you could probably get enough $ to build a bigger / better one. This one does have sentimental value, though.

I am a home inspector by trade, so I can come over and run an inspection, just to give you an idea of what should be done. I cannot speak to local codes, however, so some of my advice my go against or above and beyond your local codes.

If you have experience with moving buildings (your uncle), it might be feasible to ge this thing back in a matter of weeks. It really depends on whether you are comfortable (or know someone who is comfortable) doing concrete work. I would call down to the local Growth Management office and tell them the situation. They will tell you the requirements regarding spans of the joists with and spacing of piers. Then you just have to draw it and pull a permit, then get underway. Pouring those piers should take no longer than a weekend, provided you can get your hands on a mixer (and supplies are available).

I am worried about the home, though. If it lifted COMPLETELY off the piers, the entire load of the home probably sitting on 12-16D nails that hold the joists and girders together. If it is a ledgered / hung systen, you should be fine, but back when this one was built it was most likely not required. Not to mention it probably sustained some damage from Camille.

Can you get UNDER the house at all? You should be able to tell if any joists are sagging / broken. When moving the house, make sure your uncle supports the underside with steel I-beams to prevent torquing of the sub-structure.

If you can email, or PM, me some photos of the UNDER side of the home, I can probably give you a more accurate picture of what is going one under there.

Thanks

John

 

Phil,

OMG!!!!!! I totally spaced and forgot you were down in BR. I'm glad you are doing OK, given the circumstances, and are ahead of most.

Mike