Hanging in There

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beachwoman2006
beachwoman2006 Posts: 1,214 Member
Since I haven't been around much, I figured I would give everyone an "update". I'm currently about 1.5 pounds below my official goal weight and have been for about 6 months so I'm a happy camper. I would still like to lose about 10 pounds, but I'm thinking that will wait until after the first of the year.

As most of you know, I live at the beach in Eastern NC. To say that Hurricane Florence did a number on us is putting it mildly. We had 80-90mph winds with pouring rain (30+ inches) for about 72 hours. My roof took severe damage on the east side. My son had a "contact" from his previous job as a sales rep for a commercial roofing company who was able to get out and get the roof tarped on Wednesday morning after the island was opened back up to non-residents.

Thankfully, the "water intrusion" into the home was minimal; but everything was damp and we were without power for 9 days so no AC or dehumdifiers were in use to help dry things out. A water restoration company was able to get in here on the 23rd (the day after the power cam back on) and set up dryers and dehumdifiers and do "mold bombs" to prevent mold from forming.

Finding anyone to do work here has been a challenge since almost EVERYONE on the island had damage of some kind so every contractor is up to their proverbial with work -- including all the people who came from out-of-state to help. I finally got a new roof (a metal one this time -- no more dealing with shingles for me!) finished a week ago (2+ months after the hurricane).

I was out of my home for a little over 2 weeks while everything got dried out. I still have lots of stuff to be repaired/replaced inside, but at least I'm able to live in my home now. What little water came in, came in under the gutters so most of the crown molding swelled and then shrunk after the dry-out so it needs to be replaced. I feel very lucky though. Many of my friends lost everything and their homes are having to be rebuilt. Since some of the homes were older, they didn't meet all the updated codes. Their insurance coverage isn't going to pay enough to do all the code upgrades that are necessary so many people are just taking the insurance payment and putting the home on the market "as is" and taking whatever they can get.

December 13th will be 3 months and there are still piles of debris all over the place. The towns have done a good job of getting things on the main road cleaned up so visitors really don't see much of the damage -- other than probably 75% of the homes still have blue tarps covering the roof. But the side streets on the island still have piles of debris waiting to be picked up.

I could go on and on, but I won't.

Except...exactly one month after Florence, Michael first took aim on Florida as a Category 4 totally destroying at least two towns. Then it downgraded to a Tropical Storm and made its way to NC. The tarp that was still on my roof came off about 8:30 that night. Fortunately Michael was more of a wind event and only about 1/2 inch of rain AND it passed through quickly. The roof got re-tarped the next morning.

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  • Al_Howard
    Al_Howard Posts: 7,918 Member
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    WOW! At least You made it through ok.
  • minimyzeme
    minimyzeme Posts: 2,708 Member
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    That is heavy-duty, Cindy! I've had a few challenges in recent months as I move away from the snowbelt of Western NY, but nothing like what you've endured. I'm glad you came through it OK, or even relatively well compared to those who lost everything. Still, it's a bit toll for a community that you're part of. Back in the day, that's the kind of thing that would definitely trigger stress-eating in me. Kudos to you for keeping that in-check too.

    Nice to have you back among us!
  • myallforjcbill
    myallforjcbill Posts: 5,532 Member
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    Cindy, I am glad you made it through the worst of it. Hopefully by this summer life will be back to normal. Glad you are back!
  • whathapnd
    whathapnd Posts: 1,234 Member
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    Thanks for the update, Cindy. I can't imagine going through this. So glad you're safe.

    Sending good thoughts.
  • michael_atx
    michael_atx Posts: 44 Member
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    Very glad to hear you're safe, Cindy. What an ordeal!
  • podkey
    podkey Posts: 5,076 Member
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    Oh so happy to hear from ya Cindy. I have been very worried about ya for sure!!
  • GavinFlynn1
    GavinFlynn1 Posts: 1,664 Member
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    Wow! So glad you are safe. Be good to yourself during this time.
  • imastar2
    imastar2 Posts: 5,944 Member
    edited November 2018
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    Those storms are really something and so glad your safe @beachwoman2006. I join in with your comment Cindy hang in there.
  • misterhub
    misterhub Posts: 6,195 Member
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    These are serious challenges, Cindy. I am glad you're making headway. And, congratulations on keeping your weight goals in line with your real