A quick update on the crazy sewer/water situation. After digging an enormous hole, finding the water main, breaking it, finally finding the sewer that they broke a few weeks ago, fixing it, and fixing the water that they broke in attempting to fix the sewer… we now have functional water and drainage, and did not have to spend a 2nd night in a hotel. The city did the repairs and have taken full responsibility. Our insurance company will reimburse us for the cost of the hotel, as well as pay the people to come in and clean/sanitize the basement where everything backed up. I’m still pretty stressed and wound up, but it appears things are on the mend. The kids aren’t 100%, but the fevers seem to have largely gone away, so I think we’re all improving. Thank God.
It was really quite something. At one point there was one large truck hauling away the dirt from the hole, the excavator digging the hole, and a big truck with some kind of tank on it that I assume was vaccuuming up the water that was everywhere. Plus four city pickup trucks and seven big guys standing around the hole, swearing. They even blocked off my street. Good times, people. Good times.
You’ll excuse me. I need to go take a shower in my own house, and possibly pour myself a stiff drink.
The view from the 2nd floor of my house, looking down on the massive hole they dug in my driveway.
Hooray for functional plumbing! Guess you’ll never really go camping (like in a tent, w/out bathrooms)… not that I would, that sounds awful.
Glad things are getting back to normal. Too bad your kids had to be in a hotel on a night they were feeling so crummy, though. I hope they are back to feeling themselves very soon. And you too. That stiff drink will help!
Cheers! Glad things are moving towards the bright side again.
Glad to hear everything is almost back to normal! What a crazy story to tell the kids later!
Yay, yay, yay!!!!
OMG. I’m so glad that you have functioning plumbing now! That sounds like a NIGHTMARE. To relocate to a hotel at a moment’s notice is a slight nuisance when you don’t have kids. When you DO have kids, it is the biggest logistical hassle in the world.
I’m glad the city is taking full responsibility for everything. Johnny’s parents had a sewer back up into their house last May. His dad was upstairs and came downstairs to find that dirty sewage had spilled up from one of the showers, and was flooding most of the first floor. Their nice furniture, Oriental rug, floors, everything … were covered in sewage. They had to evacuate for months! I can’t even imagine.