RonB wrote:
As a Kansas flat-lander I am not familiar with the type of flooding
you get
with hurricanes, surges, etc. Regarding your "minimal damage"
comment, did
water enter the basement during the flood?

oh yeah!!! you have to imagine a foundation built eight feet up from
ground level with a three story house built on top of that. the
basement is all above ground level. it is actually designed to flood
without being damaged. there are "flood vents" the size of one concrete
block located in all of the walls about 1 foot above ground level. once
the water reaches that level, the vents are supposed to release and let
the water flow freely through the foundation. this keeps pressure from
building up on the foundation. i'm originally from the hills of
southeastern ohio, so this concept was a little foreign to me, too.
Martin Caskey
Millers Island, Maryland