July Flood Brings Silent August
As you probably noticed, I’ve gone silent on blog posts lately and that’s mainly due in part to the flood in our condo. Y’all, August was NOT a good month at all. I mean, good things happened; family is here from Israel, my cousin had her engagement party, my bestie and her family came down to visit and we got to surprise Amy for her birthday dinner! However, accomplishing anything has been quite a struggle mentally. Getting out of bed has been a struggle if I’m being honest. We went camping at the end of July, which is usually my mental reset but things went awry when we got back.
Flood displacement
For those that don’t know, we had a flood in our condo on July 13th, caused by our neighbour. Naturally, all of our hardwood floors have to come out, and we had to get our bel
ongings packed and stored, so they could demo. Let me just take a moment to say that we’re thankful it was our next-door neighbour; I feel horrible for those that live below us and them.
Because of the dollar value of the damage caused, the buildings insurance has kicked in, which is causing all sorts of delays. Our insurance is being used, as we need somewhere to live while we’re displaced, and our insurance covers the packing and storage of our belongings, but the strata insurance is covering the repairs. This slows down the process as they’re in control of hiring the restoration company to handle the non-emergency repairs.
Our building insurance was in the process of being renewed, and because of the new open claim, the previously quoted amount was null and void so they had to send out to get new quotes for us. We got that settled and had to send a blast out to all residents to update their personal insurance coverage. Here’s where things get tricky and set both of us off. You can only get the additional dollar value coverage through a third-party company, not your primary insurance broker. They denied us because we have an open claim and we wouldn’t be able to get the additional coverage for THREE YEARS. So basically, if we caused immense water damage similar to what our neighbours did, & the strata insurance kicked in, we have to cover their deductible of $250,000. Our insurance would only cover up to $100,000 leaving us on the hook for $150,000 out of our own pockets if god forbid we did anything to cause that kind of damage.
Do I look like I am made of money?
Y’all; that is crazy-ass money we’re talking about. And we didn’t even cause the damage. So basically, we’d have to live under-insured for three years, with no open claims, and then we could get the coverage. We both snapped and agreed that the only winners in this case, are the insurance companies. And our neighbour, who got off with a super small deductible chargeback. That has recently been rectified, and I am happy to say that we’re fully insured, although we hope that we don’t, nor does anyone else cause immense damage to the building. We’re coming up on two months displaced, and still no word on when repairs will begin. Heck, we don’t even have a budget for flooring or paint! That’s correct; two months and I haven’t even been able to pick flooring yet. All we hear about are delays with all sorts of products for home builds or renovations so I would have loved to have at least ordered something by now. I wouldn’t wish this process among anyone.
And contrary to what some people have said to us, this is NOT a staycation.
We have a very little amount of our belongings, we’re now about to transition into fall, and I’m headed to AB to visit my sister. If you’ve ever been to AB, you know that winter temps can appear without warning and my winter jacket is packed and I have zero access to it. The last time I was headed to Calgary was the end of September 2019 and I was texted by those that arrived early and local friends that I should repack because it was snowing.
This whole flood sitch is causing immense mental strain and has only done so since the first full week of August. I have had zero motivation or anything to work on the blog, prospecting clients or anything! In July when this happened, it was a whole different attitude. Oh well, nothing we can do about it. It is what it is. Roll with the punches. But now, it’s taking its toll. All my usual tricks aren’t working; this is a funk like no other. And you know what? That’s OK. This too shall pass.
I am recording a YouTube video on the whole flood process, so once all is complete, that video will go live. But, for those of you that own your own home/condo/townhome, especially if you live in strata, ensure you have all proper coverage. And check your insurance for things such as accommodations, content loss, and content storage; do not chintz out here. To put this in perspective, our accommodations are around $5,000 a month right now and we’re just shy of two months away from home. That adds up insanely quick FYI!
What’s next?
I am sitting writing this on the first day of Rosh Hashanna, which is the Jewish New Year. I’m trying to use this as a fresh start and to get back on track with work. I love writing content for myself, and I really miss putting in the effort and working with clients on their content needs.
My plan is to start getting back on track with one blog post per week at least. Nothing seasonally themed, since we’re not at home and I can’t decorate or get crafty but I know Lynn is in full Blogtober prep mode at the moment, so you can totes count on her for seasonal food and decor, hands down! Maybe I’ll be home in time to do a bunch of Christmas and Hanukkah blog prep …that seems like such a stretch right now, but fingers crossed!
If there’s anything at all you’d like me to share, talk about, write about, whatever; just let me know in the comments or send me an email.
