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Powerless for Three Weeks and Counting.


On May 17, 2020 we had a flood.  River City, which sits on the South Branch of the Chicago River rose more than seven feet and the marina and building attached to it were flooded.  The building was evacuated but we on our boats were fine.  It took a few days for the water to return to normal but because the building was flooded we lost power and water.

We've managed to get a temporary water solution by using the city pressure water from the spigot at the building on the weekends when they aren't using it for cleanup.  We also have a 250 gallon tank sitting nearby with water just in case we need it.  In fact as we write this we've been told we won't have availability to water for a few days at least.  Thankfully we have 150 gallons on board plus about 20 gallons in the hot water tank.  We can last a couple weeks if need be.  We've definitely upped our Solo cup and Dixie paper plate budget this month.

Power is a bigger issue for us at the moment.  We have no internet, this blog and the accompanying video were uploaded thanks to T-Mobile unlimited data which we've been using as hotspots on our phones.  Colette has started going back to the office "post" C-19 so she can charge her devices there and she gets to sit in the A/C all day.  Kevin is doing fine wearing shorts and a T-shirt every day doing more boat maintenance.  The cleaning never ends.

The Yeti was a welcome gift from our friend Matt this year, we've been using it a lot!

For cooking we run our Kohler 7.5kw generator.  Running the generator an hour or two keeps the hot water heater hot for about 24 hours and the fridge at a cool-ish 60 degrees F, just enough so the butter won't totally melt.  The fridge is almost empty and we've resorted to using a couple coolers with ice to keep eggs, milk, and juice cold.  Kevin also charges his devices when the generator is on and it has been enough to keep him happy.

Except, we're starting to have generator issues.  Take a look at the admittedly NON-sexy video below to see what problems we're encountering by running the generator 1-2 hours every day.

Oh and again, Property Management Techniques, our management company SUUUUUUUCKS!



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