By DARLENE VANN / Headline Surfer
EDGEWATER, Fla. -- I always loved listening to the rain on the roof.
It was soothing.
That has all changed since Hurricane Ian decided to pay us a bombastic visit.
My house flooded ruining all my floors. Being alone in the dark and in silence afterward with ankle-deep water on the floor was awful.
No one could get to me because the area surrounding my house was up to and over State Road 442. Even if anyone could get to me I have nowhere to go, and no family in the area. Prior to this hurricane crossing the state, a friend was running an errand in my car and had an accident. He was not hurt but my car was damaged.
We were dealing with the insurance company trying to get it repaired. It is an "old" 2005 Toyota Matrix but only has 51,000 miles on it and needed a headlight, a fender,, a bumper, and a windshield. My friend drove it to the Bodyshop since the insurance company recommended it, and based on their estimate of $5,000 to repair it, the insurance company decided to "total" the wrecked car.
My friend who has worked in body shops and had been looking up parts to see what he thought repairs should cost went down to the body shop and discovered they were using used parts and charging for new plus they were inflating the prices y over 40 percent can buy back the car and still get cash to use for repair.
We decided to get a second opinion. Before we could do that, the hurricane reared its ugly head, bringing with it new problems to deal with.
I am 76 years old and not well so all this stress is overwhelming. I have no doubt the body shop wants the car totaled so they can fix it and sell it themselves. We are not letting that happen. I called the body shop to tell them they could release the car to my friend. I was told it was in pieces and had to be towed.
So I called the insurance company's claims department and advised them of what was happening. They called the body shop and were told it was only the bumper hanging down and they could tape it up but it needed to be towed because it was not drivable. It drove there just fine. So insurance is having it towed to another body shop they recommended for a second opinion.
Then I get a call from a man at the body shop yelling at me that he has done this job for 42 years and did not understand why the insurance company got involved in this back and forth. He was hopping mad. No doubt he was facing losing that contract because he did not know what I may have told the company. I told them they were getting ripped off and that they needed to get rid of them.
So that is where we stand with the car right now. My friend's truck brakes went out so he was trying to get that fixed today. So we have only gotten one room’s floor cleared and I still need to figure out what to put down. Since I only go out of the house for doctor's appointments, he is going to go to Home Depot when the truck is fixed to take pictures and find out prices so I can make a choice. Believe me, whatever I chose will be waterproof. No more of this replacing my whole house’s floors again. I moved here in 1963 and this area never flooded. Everyone around here is in shock.
We all have a form of PTSD after going through this. Now if I hear rain it is no longer soothing. It makes me very anxious. I assume that will lessen eventually but right now life is so stressful it is making me physically sick. I pray for everyone who lost everything and thank God I still have my house. I came out of this much better off than so many others so feel like I can’t complain.
We all have a form of PTSD after going through this. Now if I hear rain it is no longer soothing. It makes me very anxious. I assume that will lessen eventually but right now life is so stressful it is making me physically sick. I pray for everyone who lost everything and thank God I still have my house. I came out of this much better off than so many others so feel like I can’t complain.
By next week I hope we have the floors replaced and the house back in order. I have to refurnish most of it also. I had filed my FEMA claim. The adjuster came last Saturday and on Wednesday. I had the money direct deposited into my account.
Again, I am fortunate since so many have yet to get through to FEMA. I am just hoping I can get everything done for what they gave me. I have a whole house generator, and plenty of food and water so was sure I would be fine but the poor generator was under water so I was not prepared for the days of darkness or the water on my unsealed laminate floors.
There is much more going on, but I won’t bore you with it all. I am so very overwhelmed right now I cannot see the light at the end of this tunnel. Every day something else comes up like I am under a big black cloud.
Please help others in any way you can. This area was hit hard and we did not expect it at all.
Thank you to everyone who has reached out. Your help is very much appreciated.
About the blogger: Darlene Vann of Edgewater, Florida has been writing her "Musings" blog for Headline Surfer since the 2008 launch of the award-winning 24/7 online news site via HeadlineSurfer.com, which is published by award-winning journalist Henry Frederick from Lake Mary, FL for the I-4 tourism corridor from greater Daytona Beach to Orlando. Originally from Brookfield, Conn., Vann moved to Central Florida with her family in 1964, graduating later that year from New Smyrna Beach High School. She attended Daytona Beach Community College for studies in medical records. She is retired from Ocean View Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in New Smyrna Beach where she was director of medical records.YouTube embedding / CNN video / • Oct 1, 2022 / Destructio from Hurricane Ian was massive across Florida, especially in the SW section of the state.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This was the final Musings blog installment filed by Darlene V.ann of Edgewater, Florida. She passed away on Dec. 4, 2022, after a short illness at the age of 76. Darlene Vann had been a part of Headliner Surfer since its inception in 2008. May she rest in peace.