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DAM EASY DOOR DAM RESIDENTIAL FLOOD BARRIER MOVIE

And we have added backup insurance to our homeowner’s policy, which was much cheaper than we had expected. We get our sewer lines snaked twice a year so that built-up debris doesn’t cause additional backup. I had an enclosed, up-to-code boiler room built, with the new furnace placed on cinder blocks to prevent, or at least minimize, water damage. I had contractors raise the basement wall outlets 3 feet off the ground to keep us from being electrocuted when wading through water. I had cellar doors installed to protect the back entrance. Instead of getting upset, I reminded myself that things could have been much worse and that, along the way, we have done everything within our power and budget: In addition to all I’ve outlined so far, we also had the funky basement bathroom removed, after the toilet turned into a geyser during Hurricane Sandy.

I swiftly waded into the waters to save some of Giovanni’s small paintings. Contaminated water gushed out of the laundry sink and 3-foot-high washer drain. Our dehumidifier and wet/dry vac bobbed helplessly. Our freezer and several heavy bags of cat litter had turned into flotation devices. Its force had pushed open the door, giving way to a violent cascade inside our home.Īll of Giovanni’s large paintings, which he kept stored several inches off the ground on pallets for protection, were submerged in 10 inches of water. Water also shot out of the sewer grate at the bottom, inundating the space by our basement’s front entrance. Since I’m the handy and pragmatic one in our relationship (a statement Giovanni, an abstract painter, won’t dispute), I threw on my rubber boots and ran downstairs to see water pouring down the external, underground stairs to our basement. When he returned, he wailed, “We’re screwed!” About 20 minutes later, Giovanni went to check once more.

At some point, we paused the film to check on our basement.

DAM EASY DOOR DAM RESIDENTIAL FLOOD BARRIER MOVIE

My husband, Giovanni, and I were watching a movie as rain hammered menacingly onto our old slate-roof home in Queens. I vividly remember the night Hurricane Ida hit New York City, in September 2021.

Dam easy door dam residential flood barrier