I just want to give a big thank you to the OT.

Last week was a dark week for everyone and probably the darkest some of you will ever face in your life. The floodwaters hit Sherwood Forest and wiped out my mother's home. She built it in 1970's. She fought like hell to keep it after she our father left us. She went through some really tough times but she never quit and kept it. She is in her early 70's and her husband is nearly 80 and had heart surgery last November. They got a knock on the door to get out at 1:00 AM. The water was already up to the door. They barely got out. When they returned, the home suffered five feet of water. Nearly everything was ruined. Her life was thrown out to the curb in the next few days.

Needless to say, the cleanup was a huge mountain to climb. I got down there last Friday. A good bit of progress was made but the mountain was still there. I'm no handyman and there is a shortage of help.

I sent out an SOS Sunday on the OT and the OT responded. When I got to her house SUnday (I drove back and forth to Jackson each day. Where am I going to stay?), the majority of the house was gutted but the kitchen was still intact with its cabinets and applliances, dishes and all that stuff hadn't been removed, the bathrooms were not gutted, and we had little in the way of power. Then there was all my mothers's belongings. They were still shell shocked. They had no containers, no nboxes, everything they salvaged was spread out in carport and in backyard. The studs were still intact and had not been removed.

I brought a handyman and his partner from Jackson. they managed to get the power restored and all receptacles tested. A friend up here lent me a commercial dehumidifier. They cleared out that kitchen. Couldn't get the AC working for some reason but that was it.

One guy contacted me from the OT. He brought 8 volunteers Monday afternoon. They cleaned up the house, cleaned out the bathrooms, got the rest of the cleanup done, and even got the AC working. I tell you what, it was such a huge change from 48 hours earlier. I could hear the difference in my folks' voices. I don't know what I would've done without that crew.

As for the house itself, the electrical and plumbing work is fine. House is gutted. Managed to save all of the kitchen appliances but the icebox. Kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom had ceramic tile floors. Seems like we need to hang sheetrock, install flooring or stain & score the concrete, and then get cabinets made or buy some for now from Home depot or somewhere else and replace later if need be.

Its a bad hand we were dealt but I feel much better than I did three days ago and more importantly, my mom and stepfather are handling things a little better. Thanks to the OT for the help and all the tips. Better than any other website for this sort of thing.