Flood hit again! Maybe the only safe place might be the 2nd floor?

[Daniel D. Teoli Jr.]

In 2001 a flood hit in Ohio and destroyed my VHS archive as well as some of my personal photography that was stored in a basement. Raw sewage and mold took care of it and I lost it all. On 6.22.2026 we got a torrential downpour at 4.30PM and the cine' film archive got flooded. I didn't know it until the next day when I started to smell things and walked in the room. Luckily it was not sewage, but the carpet and pad were soaked and everything sitting on it was wet. Maybe the only safe place might be the 2nd floor if you got an attic to catch the drips if the roof leaks?

I'll be out for some time with this mess. I'm old and health is poor, so work goes very slow. No insurance. I'm chipping away at pulling up the rug and pad after I vacuumed everything with a wet Shop Vac. I've felt sick from the wet stink the last few days. But every day seems to get a smidgeon better than the previous day. Subfloor is concrete, so at least it is not a mess of moldy plywood.

BTW, if you want to pull up wall to wall carpet; get some big pliers and go to the corner of the rug. Grab / pinch the corner and pull up. It removes the carpet from the nail strip. Get a dedicated carpet knife to cut the carpet. I've tried all sort of knives; carpet knives work best. But have lots of blades. Cut sections of carpet that you can deal with and roll them up and secure with duct tape.

I hope to be back to the forum someday, once I get caught up.

 

Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Archival Collection
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Small Gauge Film Archive
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Advertising Archive
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. VHS Video Archive
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Popular Culture Archive
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Audio Archive
Daniel D. Teoli Jr. Social Documentary Photography

 

Edited June 26 by Daniel D. Teoli Jr.