# Flood!!



## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

We got hammered with the worst rain in years this morning. It rained for 7 hours straight with the really torrential sustained bands around 9-11 a.m. My basement had about 7 inches of standing smelly water in it. I store a lot of my props in the basement and alot of them took a hit. Stuff is outdoors drying now but we're supposed to have more rain over the next few days.
I managed to get some of it to high ground but not before the real heavy stuff came along. I also broke the neat little cherub statue on my new tombstone so now I've got to replace that. Just venting but it really was a sucky morning.


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## hpropman (Jul 27, 2008)

Hey sorry to hear that man. I hope you can salvage everything - the important thing is that everyone is safe.


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

That sucks bad and i am sorry to hear about it. I hope you can get everything back in order. It is so hard to stop water when it comes in large amounts. Good luck to you and i hope all works out well.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Any water in the basement is bad, but seven inches!!! Phew! I'm sorry to hear you had to take a hit.


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## Just Whisper (Jan 19, 2009)

Dang JD, 7 inches. That's a lot of mopping and vacuuming. I hope there was not any other damage besides your props. I am really sorry your props got messed up. I hope they all dry out with no permanent damage and you get your tombstone repaired. Most of my props are in my attic and I frequently worry what would happen if a hurricane took part of my roof and my props. But what can we do? It's kind of like having kids...we create them and in-between having fun with them we do worry about them. LOL Best of luck. JW


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## Scary Godmother (Oct 13, 2007)

Wow, sorry to hear that! I hope all your props, and your basement, dry up in good shape. I guess we all have to think about where we store our props. Mine are all in the garage, I had a tree fall on it last spring and I thought about my props before my car! Fortunately, it did not break through the roof. Good luck getting everything cleaned up, hopefully the rain will stop.


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## IshWitch (May 31, 2006)

Wow! I hope you can save everything!
We had rain all day here too.
I have been the victim of a basement flood a couple of times. It is aweful!
Good luck!


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## Joiseygal (Sep 3, 2008)

That is one of my worse fears is having a flood or fire in my basement. If something happens to the props we make I don't think house insurance will cover it? Anyway sorry to hear about the flood in your basement. I hope you can recover most of your props. Oh and if they smell a little than that will add to the effect.


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## scareme (Aug 29, 2006)

Sorry to hear about your basement and props. If you need someplace to store them I think I can help you out. I have some room left in my storage shed. Just pick them up any time after Nov. 1st. No, don't thank me. Anything for a pal.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

scareme said:


> Sorry to hear about your basement and props. If you need someplace to store them I think I can help you out. I have some room left in my storage shed. Just pick them up any time after Nov. 1st. No, don't thank me. Anything for a pal.


Thanks scareme. I'm all teary eyed just thinking about your generosity!

The water receded after a few hours. Rain stopped except for a few random sprinkles. I sucked up close to 9 gallons of water out of my family room carpet with a wet vac but it's still wet. Have a dehumidifyer going full tilt. Carpet guys coming tomorrow to assess things, clean and disinfect. Hoping I don't have to replace the rec room carpet. Stuff is drying out somewhat. Nothing damaged beyond repair and most of it is just wet. The majority of stuff was in plastic storage totes but I had a few cardboard boxes on the floor which are runied and contents wet. Our whole area sustained a lot of damage from flooding, including a nearby firehouse that probably had over half a million dollars in damage!

Hoping motel sixx and lewlew fared better than me!
Thanks for the kind wishes all. Kind if funny as you watch your basement flood all you think about is saving your Halloween stuff!


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## Bethene (Jan 19, 2008)

Oh, man, that is awful! Sorry about your props, hope they dry out alright!


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Kind if funny as you watch your basement flood all you think about is saving your Halloween stuff!


Hope your loses are few. But at least you know that in good weather or bad, thru thick or thin, your a true haunter to the very last. Good luck


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## Black Cat (Aug 20, 2005)

Sorry to hear about the flood. Hope you manage to get it all dried out.


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## Uruk-Hai (Nov 4, 2006)

I live in fear of a flood in my basement. There's so much stuff down there I'd never get it out in time. Glad to hear you got the water mopped up. I hope everything dries out ok.


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

jdubbya said:


> Thanks scareme. I'm all teary eyed just thinking about your generosity!
> 
> The water receded after a few hours. Rain stopped except for a few random sprinkles. I sucked up close to 9 gallons of water out of my family room carpet with a wet vac but it's still wet. Have a dehumidifyer going full tilt. Carpet guys coming tomorrow to assess things, clean and disinfect. Hoping I don't have to replace the rec room carpet. Stuff is drying out somewhat. Nothing damaged beyond repair and most of it is just wet. The majority of stuff was in plastic storage totes but I had a few cardboard boxes on the floor which are runied and contents wet. Our whole area sustained a lot of damage from flooding, including a nearby firehouse that probably had over half a million dollars in damage!
> 
> ...


Thanks Jerry. Hope none of the fish in the aquarium escaped! Hope you are faring better this morning. We escaped most of the rain inland but the catchbasin behind my house is almost full and it only does that with spring runoff.

Not that I have a lot of storage space but you are welcome to it. (I'll be sure to give everything back BEFORE Nov 1st)


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Oh man..that stinks. Sorry to hear about that, Jd.

Is there a place you could dig a small pit & insert a sump pump? That's what we had to do; we had 2+ feet of water in the basement the day we went to take possession of this house. Hope you get all cleaned up & find a "fix" soon.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Uruk-Hai said:


> I live in fear of a flood in my basement. There's so much stuff down there I'd never get it out in time. Glad to hear you got the water mopped up. I hope everything dries out ok.


This is the second time in about 15 years we've had this problem, however the last time we had over two feet of water, and many homes the water was at the top basement step! At this time we didn't have much of anything in the basement but it was a mess. I'm going to arrange different storage for some stuff after this.



debbie5 said:


> Oh man..that stinks. Sorry to hear about that, Jd.
> 
> Is there a place you could dig a small pit & insert a sump pump? That's what we had to do; we had 2+ feet of water in the basement the day we went to take possession of this house. Hope you get all cleaned up & find a "fix" soon.


We actually do have a sump pump, installed after the first flood several years ago. It was running continuously yesterday for over an hour and the motor was getting hot and starting to smell so we unplugged it. Luckily the basin didn't overflow.

As of this morning, the carpet is still very wet. Waiting on the carpet cleaners to come and steam clean/disinfect. Then hoping it doesn't smell. I was told I have about a 24 hour window of time before it starts to rot/mildew/etc so I'm hoping they arrive this morning. I really don't want to have to replace the carpet in the rec room. Might be an insurance issue. My son's graduation party is in 4 weeks so we didn't plan on major home improvements!:zombie:


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

lewlew said:


> Thanks Jerry. Hope none of the fish in the aquarium escaped! Hope you are faring better this morning. We escaped most of the rain inland but the catchbasin behind my house is almost full and it only does that with spring runoff.
> 
> Not that I have a lot of storage space but you are welcome to it. (I'll be sure to give everything back BEFORE Nov 1st)


Thanks for the offer Mark but I think I'm okay in that regard. The foam stuff is not a problem. Stuff in cardboard boxes got wet but is drying.

The fish are fine but the bottom of the stand got soaked. It can take this a few times but if the stand is compromised, the thoughts of 120 gallons of salt water on the floor really make me cringe! If we have to replace the carpeting, I'll need to break down and re-set the aquarium, which is an all day project itself. Hoping it doesn't come to that. I've talked to a lot of folks and almost all of them had some significant water in their basement. There was just too much water for the storm sewers to handle and it just backed up everywhere. Really a mess for everyone. But hey, it's a new day, a new month and hopefully the worst is over.:jol:


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## beelce (Jul 21, 2007)

Sorry JW....that's going to be so much extra work....hope you can save your props


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## Spooky1 (Aug 25, 2008)

That truely sucks jdubbya. Good luck drying things out.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Thanks. I'm stuck here waiting for the carpet guys (kind of like waiting for the cable repairman) The lady said the crews worked until after 11 p.m. last night and probably will be doing the same today. She had no idea where I was on the list so I could be here all day. Just waiting for the call that I'm "next".


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## BadTable Manor (Apr 16, 2008)

That's The Suck, jdubbya. Hope you can get everything back in order soon.


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## Lady Nyxie (Aug 30, 2006)

Wow! Sorry to hear of your misfortune. 

Maybe you could use it to your advantage and turn this year's theme into the creature from the black lagoon or something underwaterish? Just trying to help...


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Lady Nyxie said:


> Wow! Sorry to hear of your misfortune.
> 
> Maybe you could use it to your advantage and turn this year's theme into the creature from the black lagoon or something underwaterish? Just trying to help...


No, more like "Attack of the MOLD People":googly:


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## Darkmaster (May 9, 2009)

Sorry to hear of the mishap. I don't like it when the weather doesn't cooperate. My haunt is indoors this year. I moved it to the barn. 
Hope everything gets back to somewhat normal.


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Now I know why you have all that Dry-Lok to use on your monuments!


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Lady Nyxie said:


> Wow! Sorry to hear of your misfortune.
> 
> Maybe you could use it to your advantage and turn this year's theme into the creature from the black lagoon or something underwaterish? Just trying to help...






RoxyBlue said:


> No, more like "Attack of the MOLD People":googly:


That would about fit right now. Carpet guys still aren't here. Basement starting to smell Not looking good. If they aren't here soon, I'm thinking the carpet is a total loss.



Darkmaster said:


> Sorry to hear of the mishap. I don't like it when the weather doesn't cooperate. My haunt is indoors this year. I moved it to the barn.
> Hope everything gets back to somewhat normal.


Thanks. It will eventually. Looks like there is a number to call to report flood damage. Seems they are trying to get federal money as it was declared an emergency and there was a lot of water damage all over.


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## Frankie-s Girl (Apr 5, 2009)

I am so sorry this happened to your and your area. That is just so horrible to deal with... 

I know it's a real pain about the fish tank, but you probably will need new carpet - it gets really gross if soaked and then not cleaned or dried within a day or two.

We got water in our house during Hurricane Ike, and while the carpet dried out and there is no mold, it discolored enough to where we're probably going to get new stuff soon. 

If you can, get some big fans, pull back the carpet so the padding is exposed and let it air out as much as possible. Once dry, try sprinkling baking soda on and leave for a few hours and vacuum up. It'll help with the smell. (just make sure the carpet is COMPLETELY dry - baking soda paste is NOT fun to try to remove)

Good luck and I'm so very sorry this happened.

(and the cherub that got broken - can you paint/age the edges and then leave the broken pieces on the top of the stone to look as if it had been broken for some time? Old broken stones are pretty common in creepy old graveyards...  )


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

lewlew said:


> Now I know why you have all that Dry-Lok to use on your monuments!


Remind me to kill you later



Frankie-s Girl said:


> I am so sorry this happened to your and your area. That is just so horrible to deal with...
> 
> I know it's a real pain about the fish tank, but you probably will need new carpet - it gets really gross if soaked and then not cleaned or dried within a day or two.
> 
> ...


The rug is not drying like I had hoped. I'm thinking we're looking at a claim and new carpet. Luckily nothing else was really damaged, but I'm hoping the wainscoting and base board aren't soaking up a lot of moisture either. It would be very difficult to pull the carpet up. The fish tank is very large. I also have big antique roll top desk that isn't going to move unless I take it all apart. I'm going to ask the carpet guys (if they show up) what the chances are of the rug being salvaged. If they can't guarantee it, I'll just file a claim to replace it.

As far as the statue, I know of two more in town just like it. Hoping at least one of them is still available so I can replace it. If not, your idea is a great one. Never thought of that, so can try to make it look "authentically broken"


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## Aelwyn (Jul 7, 2008)

*hugs* That so sucks!

Maybe as an afterthought, get some water-tight storage containers (like Rubbermaid boxes, those bags that you suck in with a vaccuum, etc).

Hopefully your carpet will be okay!


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## HalloweenZombie (Jul 22, 2007)

Oh, man. I'm sorry to hear what your going through. That totally sucks. I hope everything turns out OK.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

*last update*

Well, it's gone from bad to worse. No one can come to even assess the damage or attempt to clean it until next week! Rug and pad are soaked in spite of the water I sucked up on Monday. Started to smell pretty bad. Talked to one guy who said we need to lift the rug and get the pad out ASAP to prevent a lot of mildew/mold. Called he insurance co. today and filed a claim. Son and I rippd out most of the rug. The pad weighed a ton with all the water and carpet was gross. I have to now tear down my 120 gallon salt water aquarium and relocate it in order to get the rest of the rug out so I'm trying to line up some spare tanks to house my fish while I do this. Hoping the wooden stand was not compromised as the tank full weighs close to 1000 lbs. Bleached the floor and have fans/dehumidifyer going. The smell has abated considerably but stil a lot of work to do. Debating on not even re-carpeting the room given the fact that it could happen again at some point. Might just paint the concrete and get a large carpet remnant to cover it. Guess I know how I'll be spending my fourth of July weekend


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## The Bloodshed Brothers (Jan 25, 2009)

sorry to hear that


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## MotelSixx (Sep 27, 2008)

Jerry,
CRIKEY! Just stumbled on this thread. If you need anything let me know. I thought for sure with your location you would have been fine. Man that sucks!!! How about Belle valley FD being under 5' of water. makes you wonder about their halloween stuff!!!


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

MotelSixx said:


> Jerry,
> CRIKEY! Just stumbled on this thread. If you need anything let me know. I thought for sure with your location you would have been fine. Man that sucks!!! How about Belle valley FD being under 5' of water. makes you wonder about their halloween stuff!!!


I think BVFD houses their Halloween stuff in trailers out back of the station. They sit up high so I'm thinking their stuff is okay.


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## Spookie (Aug 26, 2008)

Jdubbya my heart sank for you as I read this thread. I know I'd hate to lose any of my stuff so can only imagine how you feel. Glad you ripped up the carpeting. Sounded like it was going to be a total loss. I was thinking more of you being protected from mold damage at that point. That can be really nasty stuff and you don't want to have health problems down the road. My boss when I was in Illinois lived in a house that periodically seemed to flood. He ended up putting in two sump pumps to handle the load because like you the first pump he installed got overworked in the next flood and he lost it due to burnout and ended up flooding anyway. 

Hang in there and look at whatever halloween you have to throw out will mean you can add new exciting items to replace them hopefully and have room for them! somehow halloween collections have a way of multiplying before your eyes...like tribbles or gremlins. A good thinning out is sometime beneficial.

Sorry your 4th was spent cleaning up.


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## The Watcher (Sep 13, 2008)

I just found this. I am so sorry for your loss. I do hope you can save it. They make a spray you can put on mold to kill it. Home Depot has it here. But most Hardware building supplies have it. I use it in repairing water damage in homes from leaks. If you need I will get you the name and brand. The company I work buys it, so I have never paid any attention to it.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Thanks for the well wishes. We've had three dry days of sun and low humidity so the space is finally dried out. The insurance adjuster is coming tomorrow to look at the damage which is hopefully just limited to the carpet and padding. Most of the stuff that got wet has dried out, and the few things that were ruined were things we could do without anyway. I have to check the aquarium stand over carefully to make sure the integrity wasn't compromised before I set it back up again. Not sure if the adjuster will find anything else wrong or not. Any Halloween stuff that got wet is now dry and at first glance, usable. Found out two days ago that the guy around the corner from us had three feet of sewer water in his basement so I'm not bad off at all. It was a freak storm and the storm sewers in our town are not up to the task. Hopefully they'll remedy that!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Glad to hear things are moving forward for you with this, JD.

Getting rid of the carpet and padding was a wise decision. The other possible problem will be your drywall and the insulation behind it (if you have a finished basement). The water may have been high enough to penetrate the drywall, in which case you have the potential for mold growth behind the walls. The company I work for gets periodic calls for inspections for mold and mold-related issues (typically due to undetected water leaks and the rarer, but potentially more damaging flooding) and it's not uncommeon for mold to be found growing behind the walls under those circumstances. The insurance adjuster should definitely take that into consideration. We never advise people to test for mold since the only agreed-upon standard is that _visible_ mold is unacceptable and should be removed. The standard approach to compromised drywall and insulation is "remove and replace" if visible mold is present.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Good point. The walls are drywalled from the ceiling half way down, then wainscoting to the floor. Hopefully the wood is okay and it seems to have dried out. The baseboards might need some attention. Just spoke to the adjuster. Very easy to work with. He basically said he'd cut a check tomorrow for half the allowable coverage, which is $5000.00, and if the work exceeds the 2500.00, he'll just release more funds. We might be looking at a grand for new rug if that's all we need, but we're going to look at alternate flooring first.


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## Aelwyn (Jul 7, 2008)

I'm glad it's looking up for you, hon! Yay for GOOD insurance adjusters (I know the ones in this city when there was a flood were DICKS). 

I'd just check the walls, to make sure there's no moisture hiding (don't want mold...yuck), and just keep those dehumidifiers going.

And YAY for new flooring. Personally, I'd go with tiling--you don't have to worry about flooding with that at all.


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## maximpakt (Aug 19, 2007)

When I moved last year my props moved to the new house before my wife and kids did.



Scary Godmother said:


> Wow, sorry to hear that! I hope all your props, and your basement, dry up in good shape. I guess we all have to think about where we store our props. Mine are all in the garage, I had a tree fall on it last spring and I thought about my props before my car! Fortunately, it did not break through the roof. Good luck getting everything cleaned up, hopefully the rain will stop.


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## maximpakt (Aug 19, 2007)

True to some degree, but as a tile man who just spent the day repairing an area that had gotten wet and caused many tiles to pop off the floor, not entirely waterproof. Still better than carpet or wood. Something that is appearing a lot around here, but I dont like is polished concrete floors, they just sand the hell out of the concrete and then when it is good and clean and smooth put a clear sealer on it. They even had it in a big fancy catholic church I went to a funeral at last month.


Aelwyn said:


> I'm glad it's looking up for you, hon! Yay for GOOD insurance adjusters (I know the ones in this city when there was a flood were DICKS).
> 
> I'd just check the walls, to make sure there's no moisture hiding (don't want mold...yuck), and just keep those dehumidifiers going.
> 
> And YAY for new flooring. Personally, I'd go with tiling--you don't have to worry about flooding with that at all.


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

Might want to potentially consider installing a backwater valve on the incoming sewer line.. It would stop the water from the storm sewer lines from even hitting your basement. Then potentially a backup sump unit ( ie water based or battery backup unit) which can pick up the load should the main one fail.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

We've removed the rest of the tile that was under the carpet. The floor still has rough spots/glue on it so will need to be snaded or ground off. We've opted against any floor covering at this time, and will likly just finish off the concrete floor and lay inexpensive area rugs that can be lifted if the water comes in again, or at least dried out if they do get wet. We've looked into the backwater valves and are considering one. A second sump pump might be in order as well, although these types of rains are pretty infrequent here. I'm figuring a month or so before it's back to normal. A major inconvenience but tyhe insurance settled nicely so we don't get socked with a lot of repair expense.


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

Yeah you guys get hit with snow alot more than water ( my dad and brothers actually live in Erie so i am familar with the weather there ).

Is that Fire Dept that got hit the one right at the bottom of the hill up from where the i think it was the Erie playhouse used to be ?

Its been a while since i have been down there.


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## MotelSixx (Sep 27, 2008)

Jerry, glad to hear things are improving!!! you might be dry by halloween!! I sold some carpet last week to a guy that also had a flooded basement, (suprisingly the first flood victim i've sold flooring to) And he too was very optimistic!!

Scream - http://www.bellevalleyfire.com- heres a link to the FD page with pics of flood. It is located about 3/4 of a mile to the north of what used to be 'the fieldhouse' , a popular venue for concerts in the 70s and early 80s. Is this the one?


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## scream1973 (Dec 23, 2007)

MotelSixx said:


> Jerry, glad to hear things are improving!!! you might be dry by halloween!! I sold some carpet last week to a guy that also had a flooded basement, (suprisingly the first flood victim i've sold flooring to) And he too was very optimistic!!
> 
> Scream - http://www.bellevalleyfire.com- heres a link to the FD page with pics of flood. It is located about 3/4 of a mile to the north of what used to be 'the fieldhouse' , a popular venue for concerts in the 70s and early 80s. Is this the one?


Yeah that would be the one i was thinking of. My dad and brothers live down behind the shopping plaza when you follow that road up the hill .


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