Pity URGENTLY Needed: Came HomeTo Find Apartment Flooded

[REP]

I spent Friday night until an hour ago away from my apartment, and when I came home, I saw a trickle of liquid outside my door. Odd, I thought; did someone let their dog piss on my door? Then my neighbor came out asking how to contact the management because his apartment had a leak from parts unknown. I showed him where the fix-it request sheets are, then opened my door, and heard water running. Well, I have a pet fountain. Then I stepped inside.

Squish.

Squish, squish, squish, squish to the bathroom, which had standing water... the toilet tank had cracked sometime over the weekend and had been running long enough to soak the carpet, collect in the kitchen, and run outside.

I have a shopvac, but have no idea how I'm going to get this dried out.

There's a puddle next to my bed ... do I sleep here?

Hell, I have no idea where I'm going to pee.

:cry: :angry: :cry:

[Heidi]

1. More spleen!

Kidding, REP. Sorry this happened to you. x(

Shouldn't your landlord be taking care of the details like how to dry out the mess, and finding you other accomodations until he/she has rectified the situation? :hug: :hug:

[REP]

2. It's Now 4:37 am PST - Still No Call Back

That's after calling the emergency number. So much for that!

[Heidi]

3. Sheesh.

I'd be bangin' on the landlord/property manager's door. :grr:

[REP]

4. Oh, I Would be - IF SHE WERE HERE!!!!1! Spleen! Spleen, Dammit!@

Resident manager isn't at home, and isn't answering her "emergency" number.

I can't tell you how fucking NASTY this is, or how unpleasant it smells. The cats ain't too happy, either, poor things!

Their litterboxes are in the bathroom, and looks like they've been trying to use them. Bet they're hungry, but they're too freaked out by ShopVac to venture out much.

[sleepyhead]

5. If you can't reach anyone

Call Servpro if they have an office in your area. I called them recently when the sewer backed up and filled my office with raw sewage. This was on a Sunday afternoon and of course my landlord was nowhere to be found. Servpro came out first thing Monday morning and got the place cleaned up right away. It took a few days for everything to dry out (they had to set up drying/dehumidifying machines) but they kept coming back until everything was dried and disinfected. My landlord (when I finally reached him) told me to just wash the floors with bleach. No thanks - he will be paying for my insurance deductible and any extras whether he wants to or not. Also, if you have renter's insurance, contact your insurance company ASAP. They may be able to refer you to a cleanup service in your area. You don't want to tackle this on your own - it's a LOT of work and you want to make sure that everything is totally clean (don't want to risk toxins or mold in your living space). Good luck - I know what you're going through.

[Breeze54]

6. Yikes!!! Can you rent a steam cleaner and suck up the water with that?

Then charge it back to the landlord.

That has to be nasty and very uncomfortable. :(

[LeftyFingerPop]

7. REP...

terrible thing when it first happens, but you will recover.

Take a deep breath, vac as much as you can...wipe up as much as you can...then, access your damage. As a previous poster suggested, it is at that point you may want to call someone like Servpro.

It will be OK....I promise.

Been there myself with floods many times...you will be ok. :hug: :hug:

[blondeatlast]

8. I've been ther myself--it's a shock, I know.

The water line to my washer had burst and the entire lower floor was 3 inches deep with HOT water.

With the help of neighbors, we managed to get most of the water out and called the emergency service and since the bedrooms were on the second floor we managed to keep on.

Not fun. I can't offer much but absolutely am thinking of you. :hug:

[Arkansas Granny]

9. You can do the initial cleanup yourself with a shop vac, but insist

that your landlord have a professional come in and do the final cleanup and treat the carpet with a chemical that kills mold and mildew. This is very important and needs to be done by a professional. Your landlord should have insurance to cover this. If he does not, he needs to pay to have it done, regardless.

[ThomCat]

10. Wow. I'm very, very sorry.

:(

You're going to vacuum up as much of that water as you can, and then rent some high-powered blowers to dry out your carpeting. Otherwise you're asking for a mold and mildew problem.

I had a minor flood in my apartment once. It took 3 days with the blowers to get the carpeting dry.