FLOOD AT LA PAZ MINI STORAGE

Norm, what kind of help are you asking for here?? Physical labor to help get things cleaned up?? Emotional support?? I heard that the place is a real mess & know several people who had all their possessions stored there & most if not all is destroyed...including large travel trailers & vehicles. +4' of mud inside the units!! I sincerely doubt that all who have/had things in storage there know yet of their losses. I have heard that Jim carried insurance, but am not clear if that insurance was just on his property, or on the possessions of his customers. And I did hear that Jim sustained a multiple break in an arm in his attempts to minimize the property losses that were incurred due to the dam being opened. Evidently the powers that be don't understand the wisdom of a slow/gradual release!!!!

Since you seem to have more information than I do, it might be wise to say specifically what kind of help is needed. I tired to get out there yesterday & couldn't get into the storage lot, and I know others who have 4-WD did get down there, but the major devastation overwhelmed them & they left.

There was a posting on the Henriette thread that mentioned the arroyo in Fidipaz was running wide & deep & that it was an intentional release of the water in the dam, not a break!! Evivdently the State Police were notified & closed the hwy at that point prior to the release. That arroyo & the area where the storage unit is near the airport is quite a distance apart...I'd say 3-4 miles...but all downhill from the mountains, so I guess it is conceivable! I'm amazed that both these areas were effected so badly by the release of the dam.

This is kinda disjointed, but if you could give some feedback on specifics of what would be helpful to Jim & Gloria & the rest of the people who had things stored there, it might be easier to organize efforts, rather than just having people show up there blind.

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[Edited on 9-10-2007 by longlegsinlapaz]

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This is the last one I'm posting!

FLOOD !!

THANKS TO ALL THE NOMADS <WE LOVE YOU> THIS IS SO SAD ! WE HAVE KNOWN JIM & GLORIA FOR A LONG TIME. They have worked hard to set this place up, so that all of use can have a safe place to store our things. We have a place next door on the north side, our wall is in good shape. Jim thinks there is water in the yard , no time to go look??? Thanks to any one that has time to help,any way they can... I KNOW THAT THEY WILL HELP YOU LATER ANY WAY THAT THEY CAN !!!!!

IF ANY ONE CAN TAKE A PHOTO OF OUR PLACE , WE WOULD APPRECIATE IT !!!

THANKS TO ALL NOMADS~~ NORM & SUE

One POOPED Puppy here......

First things first...Norm & Sue, I asked Jim to point me towards your casa, he advised that your place is just fine; he'd personally gone over & checked it out. Based on his assurance & the fact that I was needed there, I didn't get over to your casa. I'm sorry!

BOATS
Anyone with boats stored there will be happy to hear that no boats were damaged...that includes yours Alan! There will probably need to be some heavy duty cleaning on trailers...just back waaaay down the ramp the next time you launch!

AUTOMOBILES/TRUCKS/SUV's
The smaller the vehicle, the greater the likelihood that it's got water/mud both in the engine compartment & the interior. The GOOD NEWS is that the insurance companies are covering anyone who has even minimal liability insurance. If you do, contact your insurance company immediately & they are making arrangements to have a tow truck pick the vehicle up, take it to a mechanic where the engine will be steam cleaned, as will the interior of all vehicles which got water inside. All the fluids will be flushed & replaced, including the gas tank, and the vehicle will be put back into running order & returned to the storage lot. You pay your deductible. There is a rapidly narrowing window of opportunity here...two weeks at the outside or it'll probably be too late to recover the vehicle. This occurred last Wednesday around 9:30 AM, according to the employees who were in the office at that time. So basically, nearly one week is gone; you need to act fast to get your vehicle checked out & cleaned up immediately! The smaller & lower to the ground the vehicle (VB bugs), the greater damage...the higher ground clearance (Suburbans, etc), much less damage. As you might have noted in the pics I posted, the highwater line on most of the vehicles & trailers was around the 3' level. No insurance...make a personal determination ASAP whether you want to have your car restored at your own expense or junk it & replace it when you come down next! You'd have to figure out how to pay for repairs remotely...contact Jim or Olga immediately if you'd like them to get the vehicle picked up & checked out.

TRAILERS/MOTOR HOMES/RV's
Ditto....If you have insurance, cleanup & damage repair will be covered...minus your deductible, of course! A lot of trailers have a lot of mud in them!

STORAGE BODEGA's
Depending on the location, some appear to have fared worse than others, but the basic rule of thumb is, if "it" was sitting on the floor of the bodega, or within the first 3' of the floor, depending on the composition of the item, it sustained major damage. To expect anything to be recoverable, time is of the essence! Any furniture made with pressboard, particleboard or laminated items...it's probably too late...solid hardwood items, like oak, can probably be rescued & restored if you act immediately. Boxes, mattresses, anything that wicks water, would most likely be beyond recovery/restoration by this time. Jim cannot open the bodegas...either the owner or a designated representative must unlock them. Many have doors blown off their tracks on one or both sides, with the lock still in place. According to Jim & the insurance companies he's talked with...if you have Homeowners Insurance either here or in the states, your personal possessions are supposed to be covered. (Please don't shoot the messenger; contact your stateside insurance provider & ask them if they cover your household goods & personal possessions 900 miles south of the border!)

JIM & GLORIA'S HOME
Had 2' of water inside & very deep mud was being shoveled & pushed outside today. They lost a major amount of personal possessions, appliances, all the office PC's, but one; the office files are a soggy mess! They do have the paper copies of customer records in four 3" 3-ring binders & that's what they're working with.

THE PURPORTED CAUSE
According to Jim...there's another dam in/near/above "Tope-Town"/San Pedro. When "they" attempted to release some of the water slowly, the sluice gates blew off their mounting brackets & sent an unexpected wall of water downstream! Lencho, I'm sorry, I didn't get a damn dam name! Maybe those wise folks at CIB could be forthcoming with the name of another (other than the one responsible for the Fidipaz arroyo) dam near San Pedro!

Those are the high points of what I learned today, I'm certain I'll wake up around 3 AM with something major I forgot! I'm also certain that I'll be posting new information as I get it over the next few days.

I think I had a brief mental meltdown today...I actually told my builder to pick out the pattern for the celocia (sp?) (ventilation blocks) for my new garage today...that lasted all of about 30 minutes before sanity reigned & I called him back & told him to pick me up at 4 PM and I'd go with him!

There was a least one other Nomad helping out yesterday...well, that I could identify through under all the mud!! Comitan was there doing heavy work & I can attest to the fact that he was one mud-speckled POOPED puppy by the time he left...his mud-covered shoes had to weigh an extra 5 lbs EACH!!

[Edited on 9-11-2007 by longlegsinlapaz]

Not bad...you just haven't found the right threads yet! No dam in the Mulege disaster...but a bazillion posts & concern & pleas for help & offers of help on a Hurricane John thread...don't recall the exact thread name, but no time to search for it now...heading back to the La Paz Mini Storage Mud Baths!

oldlady & others who have U2U'd, I'll get back to you individually later, but I'm just doing what I'd hope others would do if positions were reversed. m/m oldlady were helped & are helping others in the midst of their own tragedy!!

PS....Jim has hired an armed security guard to patrol the premises at night! I KNEW I'd forgotten SOMETHING!

Alan...da nada, da nada, da nada!

longlegsinlapaz,

You are a class act!


Ken

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Originally posted by lencho Mid to late 90's, some even more recent. Not surprisingly, they sell them at... INEGI. --Larry

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Originally posted by tripledigitken longlegsinlapaz, You are a class act! Ken

A LOT of the vehicles there have had this done....some owners were local or happened to be here, many aren't local, but by contacting their insurance companies, the agents have authorized towing to mechanics to have the work done. Now they're trying to get the work done there in the yard when it's feasible. The cost has ranged in the neighborhood of $500 (equiv USD)....but will differ depending on the condition of each individual vehicle....obviously a car that had water over the seats inside will take more time & labor to clean the mud off the floorboards AND the seats than one which got less water/mud inside. Same on the what the mechanics find from vehicle to vehicle under the hood & in the gas tank.

My personal side note....Call me Pollyanna....but I was truly amazed to discover how many of the vehicles stored do NOT have insurance!! I guess people who can afford 5th wheels, large trailers or bus-sized motor homes can easily afford to replace them There is a reason for insurance & this past week, unfortunately, I believe that reason hit quite close to home for many many people!

Long legs you are FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You deserve a million gold stars. Thanks so much for all your help. You are an angel,k

Above and beyond

flood at La Paz mine storage I have a Suburban and 22t. trailer that I need some inside pictures. They have the keys at the office. Also may need some clean up work done. I am in Idaho and not going to be there for 2 more months.

Quote:

Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz Norm, what kind of help are you asking for here?? Physical labor to help get things cleaned up?? Emotional support?? I heard that the place is a real mess & know several people who had all their possessions stored there & most if not all is destroyed...including large travel trailers & vehicles. +4' of mud inside the units!! I sincerely doubt that all who have/had things in storage there know yet of their losses. I have heard that Jim carried insurance, but am not clear if that insurance was just on his property, or on the possessions of his customers. And I did hear that Jim sustained a multiple break in an arm in his attempts to minimize the property losses that were incurred due to the dam being opened. Evidently the powers that be don't understand the wisdom of a slow/gradual release!!!! Since you seem to have more information than I do, it might be wise to say specifically what kind of help is needed. I tired to get out there yesterday & couldn't get into the storage lot, and I know others who have 4-WD did get down there, but the major devastation overwhelmed them & they left. There was a posting on the Henriette thread that mentioned the arroyo in Fidipaz was running wide & deep & that it was an intentional release of the water in the dam, not a break!! Evivdently the State Police were notified & closed the hwy at that point prior to the release. That arroyo & the area where the storage unit is near the airport is quite a distance apart...I'd say 3-4 miles...but all downhill from the mountains, so I guess it is conceivable! I'm amazed that both these areas were effected so badly by the release of the dam. This is kinda disjointed, but if you could give some feedback on specifics of what would be helpful to Jim & Gloria & the rest of the people who had things stored there, it might be easier to organize efforts, rather than just having people show up there blind.

ionaroad

Two ships passing in the night....Check your e-mail for pics of your Suburban....NOW. You'll have to wait until Tuesday afternoon/evening before you can get a status & interior pics on your trailer...since you just confirmed the pics I sent are your trailer.

Is there or is there not a dam somewhere around San Pedro that drains into the arroyos near the La Paz airport?

In view of the fact that another storm is on the way it would be helpful to have an accurate reading of this situation.

I think that predominant general local consensus is that it was simply an abundance of water that built up in the low ditches between the highway & along the back wall facing the airport; with little or no outlet....the irresistible force meets the unmovable object theory! Neither the airport, nor the areas farthest from the highway sustained the kind of devastation that the storage yard did. I personally now believe it was merely "the luck of the draw" in low land. A lot of people have searched GoogleEarth & other online maps searching for a dam near San Pedro....in vain!

PS...In other words....I totally agree with oldlady (who I wish would change her on-line name!)

[Edited on 9-19-2007 by longlegsinlapaz]

FLOOD !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz PS...In other words....I totally agree with oldlady (who I wish would change her on-line name!) [Edited on 9-19-2007 by longlegsinlapaz]

Say What??????Not to hijack here...but why change my moniker....I have worked hard for it, hair is getting whiter by the moment, and no younglady, YOU can't have it.
p.s. Fridge works, AC works, I work, soon as CCC restocks Squirt I'll lay in a supply for you...gotta roof yet?

IMHO.....he's not a good mechanic, he's a damn good mechanic & he's been performing miracles with the cars, trucks, & motor homes he's worked on!! He's extremely conscientious! His name is Manuel Ojeda & I do have his phone number, but he'd have to have your name & vehicle & find it in the storage yard & he's up to his eyeballs in work...plus he doesn't speak English. U2U me your name; or the name the storage is contracted under; the make, model, color & license plate number or at minimum, the state licensed in, and I'll see if I know of it (somehow I've developed an almost personal relationship with a lot of cars & rigs over the past 3 weeks!) or I'll find it & take pics of the vehicle & e-mail them to you, along with a verbal description of where it was parked in the lot, if it's accessible to tow out to be worked on, levels of water & mud inside, etc. ....so also include your e-mail address in the U2U.

Flooded car fixed?

Yes....I'm currently driving one on a temporary basis. Why do you ask? Did you have a vehicle there which received....Uhhhhhhhhh....less than satisfactory work? Or are you of the belief that flood damaged vehicles can't be salvaged successfully? Actually, I've been working with the mechanic who has been working temporarily there in the yard for the past 7 weeks. I've worked with them for interior & exterior cleaning, engine, gas tanks, brakes & wheel bearing work on 7 trucks or SUV's, a large motor home & 4 trailers. Work is completed on all but 2 of the vehicles I've been overseeing. We're waiting on an on-board computer for a Canadian manufactured vehicle & one transmission which had to be pulled & cleaned of mud, which should be back together Monday-Tuesday.

Different vehicles in different parts of the yard had varying degrees of damage, most of the smaller vehicles had mud & water over the seats & part way up the seat backs & to varying levels in the engine compartment. One vehicle I'm overseeing repairs on for the owner literally had water to the top inside the engine block....it's running now.

The only thing sadder than having to tell someone their trailer is a total loss is how many owners couldn't be contacted or who were contacted & chose to wait & deal with the situation when they come down in Nov-Dec; by which time many of those rigs will be a a total loss due to waiting so long to make any attempt to try to salvage them.

I'm curious as to what prompted your question.

In the first few days after the flood, there were some cars taken into town to be worked on, then a mechanic & cleaning crew came to the yard & has been working there 7-days a week ever since. I'd be concerned over the fact that Olga said "none have been returned yet"!!!! WHO is overseeing the repairs? WHO is keeping the mechanic it was taken to honest? WHERE was it taken? On WHOSE authorization? Did the owner authorize it to be removed from the storage yard? Did the insurance company? If the owner didn't wire any $$ down to take care of the repairs, then I can guarantee you that no work has been started on it, regardless of where it is!

Where are you? If you're here in La Paz, I'd recommend trying to get answers to those questions & physically finding the car to see what the present situation is. I've got more than enough on my plate right now between the time I've donated to owners of vehicles at the storage yard & simultaneously overseeing my new casa construction....BUT....if you aren't here or near, U2U me with the owner's name, make of the car & where it's licensed & I'll see what I can find out the first of the week.

What scares me is that I'll bet nobody has a clue as to WHERE the car was taken. It could have been "parted out" long ago!! Or if the owner didn't make any specific arrangements, it could very well still be sitting there in the yard untouched!

edit: Even IF the vehicle was insured, the $500 (standard for Qualitas Ins.) deductible has to be taken care of by the owner before the insurance company will make a claim determination. And of all the owners I've been working with, NONE have heard final claim status, in fact, few have been able to get Qualitas to return other than the initial phone call or e-mail!

[Edited on 10-27-2007 by longlegsinlapaz]

Quote:

Originally posted by longlegsinlapaz And of all the owners I've been working with, NONE have heard final claim status, in fact, few have been able to get Qualitas to return other than the initial phone call or e-mail! [Edited on 10-27-2007 by longlegsinlapaz]

I haven't a clue WHY, but that name sounds familiar! I'll ask the mechanic working at the yard on Monday if he knows who/where it is. Since it sounds like the insurance company was who authorized the vehicle to be removed from the storage yard, personally, I'd hold their feet to the fire to backtrack & FIND the vehicle! At minimum, the insurance company should have the phone number they called to have the vehicle towed or a work order for the repairs!!

I know of one other instance where an insurance company (not Qualitas in this instance) had a vehicle towed into town, without the owner's approval or knowledge. They only had them submit a repair estimate....did NOT authorize any work to be done & had the vehicle returned to the yard. The estimate included applying new undercoating on the vehicle & came in over $1,500!!! There was also an exclusion for doing any electrical work whatsoever! Along with a $60 tow charge....each way! I arranged for the mechanic in the yard to clean the interior/exterior, change all the fluids, filters, belts, pull the wheels, clean the brakes & wheel bearings & grease the bearings....for $500!

If the insurance company still can't find the vehicle, I'd suggest that the owner ask them to change the claim to a stolen vehicle & see if that gets them off their burros!

I know that Lewis & Lewis writes a lot of Qualitas policies & would suspect most brokers do.

One of the guys I oversaw repairs for finally got a payoff amount for his totaled trailer....yesterday....but Qualitas won't proceed with processing the claim until they get his claim form...which they promised to e-mail to him over a month ago & have failed to do so, despite numerous phone calls & e-mails requesting that they honor their commitment to e-mail him one!!! I gave him the URL for their on-line claim form....which the Qualitas adjuster had also failed to share with him!

Qualitas, Lewis and Lewis