Vocal Voices

Woke this morning 6am to the sound of absolutely torrential rain hammering down (I think it rained most of the night) - didn't actually go back to sleep so when the phone rang at 7.10am, we were both awake. It was Miss Osc saying that they needed our help because their house was flooding. The short drive to their house was a bit hairy as there was a positive river pouring down the main street, but I got through that and up the hill to their house. Another positive river was streaming down their driveway, water was coming up underneath the wash hand basin in one of the bathrooms and walking on the carpets was like standing on a waterbed The house is rented and eventually they got in touch with the agent handling it, who in fairness to him did get in his car and come out to look. They needed his permission to take up the carpets to make it a bit easier to try and get rid of some of the water. So he took his photos and went off to contact the landlord who lives in Zurich, promising to get things moving.

Their bedrooms are downstairs and Mr. Osc and SIL spent the day sluicing water outside but just couldn't clear it. Eventually, they were emptying a wardrobe in one of the rooms when they spotted a panel from under which water seemed to be oozing. So they took off the panel and found a space within a large cavity wall, which contains the outlet pipes for the sewage - but this space was full of water, and they still don't know where it is coming from, plus when they opened it all the water flowed out Miss Osc and myself spent the day wading around in ankle deep water, moving clothes and other stuff upstairs, thankfully none of them got wet. A friend of hers has a boutique locally and loaned a free standing rail for clothes.

So for the next couple of nights, Miss Osc and M will sleep here (our double bed is only a 4' one so there is no room for Miss Osc, SIL and the bump). SIL will sleep on a mattress on a floor in the house and they had already planned to go to SIL's mother's house in Co. Wicklow on Wednesday for four nights, so that gives a little breathing space but not much.

Bear in mind that Miss Osc is due to have the baby in 8 weeks, there are virtually no short let properties available in this area, M is starting in the local school in a few weeks so they can't go outside the area, and you can see that there is a little urgency in getting things sorted. Work needs to be done on the house (terribly badly built, they already knew that) so now we have to wait and see how quickly the agent gets things moving. Already a guy has come to look about pumping out the water and he will be back early in the morning so he does seem to be doing his best. Not sure what will happen about us moving in with them, but that's the least of their worries and we will sort something out.

We are all exhausted now, and Miss Osc and SIL still need to pack up clothes for the week, and try and see if anything else needs to be moved upstairs. We went out to a local Italian restaurant to eat as nobody was interested in cooking! M thinks this is all great fun, with the prospect of three sleepover nights in our house!!

Oh - and there is always someone worse off than yourself, a house further up the same road has been flooded with sewage

Oh Osc, what an absolute nightmare for all of you.
Nothing I can say except give you the hugest (((((((((((((((((HUG)))))))))))))))))) imaginable (((((xxx)))))

Was all this disaster down to the remnant of Hurricane Bertha, Osc, or just a local cloudburst?

Not that it matters, there's nowt we can do to protect ourselves from some things.

Let's hope that things get sorted out soonest. Your local tradesmen seem to be on the job already. (((((Osc)))))

Gosh Osc water damage is my worst nightmare so can only imagine how upsetting and distressing this all is for you

Huge hugs and wishes that it all gets sorted out asap.....not much I know, wish we could do something to help xxx

Oh berlimey Osc. that is awful.

Can't do anything from here, but if you want some sunshine, feel free to come over.

And have a huge hug xxx

Oh Osc - how cruddy.

Not that there is anything good whatsoever about this situation - but at least you were there and able to be hands on and offer help.

Imagine you'd still been on your cruise.

(((((Osc's family))))) xxx

Thank you. WM, I think this was a sideswipe from Bertha - lots and lots of rain, a fair amount of flooding locally. It's a hilly area and there are quite a few underground streams which occasionally (rarely but it does happen) overflow out of manholes - I remember once sitting in the post office and watching a skip sail down the road There is one particular stream called The Boreen which has been there above ground for obviously many many years. In more recent times, the planning authority saw fit to change its direction and pipe it under Main Street, and grant permission for three houses to be built on the space thus created. The last time we had weather like this almost three years ago, cars parked outside these houses were crushed together by the force of the water jumping a wall and carrying down its original route. Why do authorities never learn the lesson that you can't fight water or nature

Michael is fast asleep upstairs, Mr. Osc is fast asleep in his chair (waiting for the golf from America and Rory only starts his round in a few minutes), Miss Osc has gone back to her house to get clothes and spend some time with SIL. She said she would probably be back around 10.30, Mr. Osc said "I may be asleep but not necessarily in bed"

What a nightmare (((((((((osc))))))))) hope it can be sorted xxx

That's terrible, Osc. I do hope the landlord and agent cooperate on getting the property damage sorted ASAP ....