{"id":15063,"date":"2024-10-09T16:42:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T16:42:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/?p=15063"},"modified":"2024-10-09T22:26:47","modified_gmt":"2024-10-09T22:26:47","slug":"hurricane-helene-vs-our-schumacher-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/hurricane-helene-vs-our-schumacher-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Helene vs. our Schumacher Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina on September 27, 2024. The damage has been unbelievable.<\/p>\n

We knew we were in a flood zone when we built the house, but only by a few inches. We are in a 100-year floodplain. That means there is a 1-in-100 chance of flood in any year. We built for the possibility of floods and we had no damage. We prepared. But mostly we were incredibly lucky.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Our house
1% Annual Chance Flood (100 Year Flood)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is where our house is. We are close enough to the brook to flood, but we are up hill from Somerset Drive and Arlington, so it would seem the water would go down hill and it would be impossible to really really flood.<\/p>\n

\"Working
Engineered Footers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We have extremely deep and wide engineered footers that allow water to drain away. There is a layer of gravel wrapped in fabric to let water flow through. The footers are poured on top of that.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Drone view of our engineered footers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The footers are 5-feet or more deep and 3-feet or more wide poured with fiber reinforced concrete. All of the footings are connected and have a slight slope to drain to the sump area, that black spot on the left, located outside the house. Water will be drained by gravity away from the foundation.<\/p>\n

\"\"
They put in an additional outlet close enough for the pump to plug into<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is a pump in the sump area well to move water to the waterway behind the house.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Our foundation with flow through block before fill to bring it above flood plain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Flow through block will let water flow under the house and back out again if it ever floods high enough.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fill to above flood level<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Truck loads of dirt inside and outside the house brought the lot above flood level.<\/p>\n

\"The
The hot water heater is on a platform in the garage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The hot water heater is raised on a platform.<\/p>\n

\"Platform
Platform to move the heat pump above the flood plain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There is a platform for the heat pump. At first it was attached to the house, but it was REALLY noisy that way so the builders came back, put on two more legs and disconnected it from the wall.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Our heat pump is on a raised platform.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The heat pump is on stilts so it stayed above the flood.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Water flowing through the flow-through block<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The water rose fast enough and high enough during Helene to get to the flow-through block and flow under the house.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Our flooded carport during the storm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The water was higher than the carport, which was above the flood elevation.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Helene Flood Waters Surrounding the House<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The house was completely surrounded by rushing water. Rushing water passed under the house. Flood water went significantly further than the map shows the flood zone. And we had no damage at all.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Whole House Generator runs on natural gas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The generator is on a bit of a platform and there is a pan to keep water out of the generator. It’s actually higher than it looks in the photo.<\/p>\n

We were out of power for days, but we had a generator that runs on natural gas so we didn’t have to wait in lines or go hunting gas or propane.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina on September 27, 2024. The damage has been unbelievable. We knew we were in a flood zone when we built the house, but only by a few inches. We are in a 100-year floodplain. That means there is a …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[31],"tags":[84,82,83],"class_list":["post-15063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-house","tag-flood","tag-helene","tag-hurricane"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-flood.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15066,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/hurricane-helene-vs-the-log-cabin\/","url_meta":{"origin":15063,"position":0},"title":"Hurricane Helene vs. the Log Cabin","author":"Carla","date":"October 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I lived in Meadowbrook Log Cabin from 2005 until 2022 and there were a few weather events that caused flooding and road closures in Hendersonville. Hurricane Helene flooded areas that are not in a flood zone and didn't flood areas that are in a flood zone. Hurricane Matthew dropped 17\"\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Log Cabins"","block_context":{"text":"Log Cabins","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/log-cabin\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-cabin_helene.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-cabin_helene.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-cabin_helene.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-cabin_helene.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15062,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/hurricane-helene-vs-the-westwood-cabin\/","url_meta":{"origin":15063,"position":1},"title":"Hurricane Helene vs. the Westwood Cabin","author":"Carla","date":"October 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The new Westwood Cabin is not in a flood zone and the area around it did not flood. The cabin got the rain and wind, but we had any trees that might fall on the cabin removed. Water rushed over the driveway, that's it. The little cabin was tight. Nothing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "New Modular Cabin"","block_context":{"text":"New Modular Cabin","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/new-cottage\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene-vs-cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene-vs-cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene-vs-cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene-vs-cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15067,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/hurricane-helene-vs-the-classic-manor-new-day-cabin\/","url_meta":{"origin":15063,"position":2},"title":"Hurricane Helene vs. the Classic Manor New Day Cabin","author":"Carla","date":"October 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina on September 27, 2024. We are all fine. I've been asked how our 2-story Home Depot shed we finished did through the storm. (More than anything else) We don't own the log cabin or the building anymore, but I was more worried about the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Tuff Shed Summer Wind, Sundance and Classic Manor New Day Cabins"","block_context":{"text":"Tuff Shed Summer Wind, Sundance and Classic Manor New Day Cabins","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/office\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene-2-story.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene-2-story.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene-2-story.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene-2-story.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15055,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/hurricane-helene-how-did-we-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":15063,"position":3},"title":"Hurricane Helene: How Did We Do?","author":"Carla","date":"October 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Hurricane Helene hit western North Carolina on September 27, 2024. There is a LOT of damage which you are seeing on the news. Friends and family have a lot of damage, are still without power and water and may be for a while. It was days before we saw the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Our New House"","block_context":{"text":"Our New House","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/new-house\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/featured-helene.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15278,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2024\/11\/raise-rebuild-repair-or-sell-out-hazard-mitigation-grant-program-help-options\/","url_meta":{"origin":15063,"position":4},"title":"Raise, Rebuild, Repair or Sell Out: Hazard Mitigation Grant Program Help Options","author":"Carla","date":"November 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"If your North Carolina home was affected by Hurricane Helene and PTC8 (Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight, the storm we got before Helene), the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is accepting applications.* The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program is managed by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety\u2019s Division of Emergency Management. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Research"","block_context":{"text":"Research","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/research\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/featured-lift_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/featured-lift_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/featured-lift_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/featured-lift_house.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9866,"url":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/2021\/09\/proving-you-are-not-in-a-flood-zone\/","url_meta":{"origin":15063,"position":5},"title":"Proving You are Not in a Flood Zone","author":"Carla","date":"September 10, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Nobody wants to live in a flood zone. Even if you never have a flood, you have to buy flood insurance. It can also make it harder to sell your house and it will probably sell for less. Every community has a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), an official map\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Research"","block_context":{"text":"Research","link":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/category\/research\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/featured-flood-cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/featured-flood-cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/featured-flood-cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/featured-flood-cabin.jpg?fit=810%2C431&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15063"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15063\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15119,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15063\/revisions\/15119"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.projectsmallhouse.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}