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If you lived in Houston...

Wait. What?

So if I own a 1993 Honda Accord and a hundred similar Accords are damaged by Harvey, mine has gone up in value?

I said instruments and amps.

But, yes. Your undamaged Accord would be worth a tiny fraction more to someone looking for one because it would be a tiny fraction more rare.

The 1993 Accord market minus 100 cars would probably increase the value of yours by $1.

On the other hand, if that same number of 1951 P basses had been damaged in the Nashville flood and you had an undamaged one its value would increase by significantly more.
 
I said instruments and amps.

But, yes. Your undamaged Accord would be worth a tiny fraction more to someone looking for one because it would be a tiny fraction more rare.

The 1993 Accord market minus 100 cars would probably increase the value of yours by $1.

On the other hand, if that same number of 1951 P basses had been damaged in the Nashville flood and you had an undamaged one its value would increase by significantly more.

Well when you say "rare" that changes the equation. It sounded like you were claiming a 2015 Squier P would significantly appreciate in value. :D
 
This... assuming I didn't have a 2 story house, or live in an apartment higher than that. My real answer, though, is "This is one of the reasons I don't live in Houston"...just as my answer to my brother's "why don't you move down here to Dallas with me & my wife?" is.."Tornadoes"...:whistle:


I mean no disrespect and my heart goes out to all involved.

I thought about calling Texas my home years back. A great music scene, enough right there, but there was more I liked.

One problem, maybe two.

Texas has floods and Texas has droughts.

Not sure if the other good things nullify these "inconveniences"?

I know I could deal with one or the other, but not BOTH, in the same state.

At this age, I'm sick of pushing the rock uphill.

Hope it subsides and gets better for all.
 
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If you lived in Houston and didn't have enough time to get a rental truck, load it up, and get out of the area in advance, what would you do to protect your musical gear with the flood coming? Let's say you have a couple of dozen stringed instruments, half a dozen amps, recording computer, pre amps, microphones, and related connectivity gear. put it all in the attic?
#1 "Did not have enough time" means you DID NOT think correctly FOR YOURSELF about the event. You ALWAYS have enough time to get out and don't wait for "authorities" to make the correct decision for you. It is your life and stuff, not theirs. With hurricanes, you have a day or few to think and decide WHAT is YOUR HAVE TO LEAVE line and WHEN do you have to make that decision. For us this time, it was all of the models showing a slight westerly turn along with radar and satviews showing US the same thing plus the pressure fronts near the storm. All of that added up to PROBABLY no sudden turn east at the last minute. We decided to stay about 48 hours prior to landfall with a 12 to 16 hour window in the middle of the night to change our mind if radar showed us any turn northeast. Landfall was 70 miles from here. We did email all valuable insurance data to two close relatives in case we did not survive.

Assuming there is an attic then INSURANCE. You can put it in the attic BUT if you evac and flood and your gear sits in a super-humid hot attic(think 120+ summer sun) with muddy water under it and no air conditioning me-thinks you may not come back to much at all AFTER the authorities "let you" come back. If you have ever been in a flooded home a few days or weeks later, you would know this and about everything being covered with mold, fungus, and "that smell".

When we did evac last(Rita September 2005, Cat 4 or 5 landing on you = you're done and your stuff is gone, evacuating is a no-brainer unless one is suicidal) we had 2 vans, wifey drove one with her Mom and our son who was with us after evacuating from New Orleans the month before(Katrina) and I drove the other with our daughter. Besides computer and valuable papers, a few basses got to go. Here's my side of the bed in our San Antonio hotel(normally a 3 hour trip, took 13 hours, never complain again about a 30+ gallon tank):
092405 RitaBassEvac.jpg
 
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I said instruments and amps.

But, yes. Your undamaged Accord would be worth a tiny fraction more to someone looking for one because it would be a tiny fraction more rare.

The 1993 Accord market minus 100 cars would probably increase the value of yours by $1.

On the other hand, if that same number of 1951 P basses had been damaged in the Nashville flood and you had an undamaged one its value would increase by significantly more.

Are you sure that you said instruments and amps? And how much did an 05 Camry appreciate, if you would be so kind to run the numbers for me.
 
We get some flooding from time to time out here, when the Ohio River or its tributaries run over their banks. But I bought a house up on a hill, so it'd never reach us. We sit about thirty feet above the road, and there's not enough hill behind us for runoff to cause a problem.

As a hypothetical, if I had to evacuate taking the instruments would be the priority. If I could only take three out of the ten, I know which ones they'd be. And all the rest of my music gear would be on the top floor.

Best wishes to all the folks flooded down in Texas. It's a real hard knock. Be strong, and get through it.
 
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Yes, Nevada does - if you look at the whole state. But, I don't live in the whole state; I live in Las Vegas - way down in the pointy bottom corner on this earthquake zone map. And, in Las Vegas:
- it's pretty easy to stay out of washes - where the flash flood water goes - if you've got more than 3 brain cells to rub together. Just don't be an ass and drive down streets where the water is over the curbs and running like a race horse, and you'll be fine...
- yes, a 3.2 on the Richter scale (our last one) is technically an earthquake, but if you're asleep? Oops.. too bad; you missed it. See the map? Las Vegas is right on the line between Zone B (almost nothing) and Zone C (moderate shaking possible). They're very rare; (3 in the last 33 years I've lived here) and 2 of them I had to hear about on the news...
- Yes, we do have wildfires - occasionally. But, they're pretty rare out here in the Mojave Desert - it's way too dry for much of anything to grow, so... no fuel, no fire. Our fires are mostly up north, and in the mountains - where there is stuff to burn.

The point of my answers - I have a sister who lives in Houston, by the way; and "Hurricanes" is my answer when she asks why I don't move there - is that hurricanes and tornadoes happen every year. Earthquakes and wildfires don't; not around Vegas, anyway. This is the Flash Flood Season right now; we've had a couple, and yes, a couple of dimwits had to be pulled out of their cars. But there's a big - Very big - difference between rescuing a couple of fools, and the terrible destruction/loss of life that hurricanes and tornadoes can cause. I know; I've survived several of each. What's possible here, is just minor inconvenience AFAIC...;)
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Yes, Nevada does - if you look at the whole state. But, I don't live in the whole state; I live in Las Vegas - way down in the pointy bottom corner on this earthquake zone map. And, in Las Vegas:
- it's pretty easy to stay out of washes - where the flash flood water goes - if you've got more than 3 brain cells to rub together. Just don't be an ass and drive down streets where the water is over the curbs and running like a race horse, and you'll be fine...
- yes, a 3.2 on the Richter scale (our last one) is technically an earthquake, but if you're asleep? Oops.. too bad; you missed it. See the map? Las Vegas is right on the line between Zone B (almost nothing) and Zone C (moderate shaking possible). They're very rare; (3 in the last 33 years I've lived here) and 2 of them I had to hear about on the news...
- Yes, we do have wildfires - occasionally. But, they're pretty rare out here in the Mojave Desert - it's way too dry for much of anything to grow, so... no fuel, no fire. Our fires are mostly up north, and in the mountains - where there is stuff to burn.

The point of my answers - I have a sister who lives in Houston, by the way; and "Hurricanes" is my answer when she asks why I don't move there - is that hurricanes and tornadoes happen every year. Earthquakes and wildfires don't; not around Vegas, anyway. This is the Flash Flood Season right now; we've had a couple, and yes, a couple of dimwits had to be pulled out of their cars. But there's a big - Very big - difference between rescuing a couple of fools, and the terrible destruction/loss of life that hurricanes and tornadoes can cause. I know; I've survived several of each. What's possible here, is just minor inconvenience AFAIC...;)[/QUOTE]
You apparently have never met Murphy cause you just slapped him on the shoulder...bout three times...pretty substantially.
 
We have had a couple of huge floods here in the past 20 years. The one in '99 brought out some interesting "technology".
see
There was an apartment complex "down by the river" (literally). As the flood waters came in quickly, the college students who lived there had to get what they could get and drive away quickly before the parking lot took a dive. Most lost everything they didn't throw in their cars right then.

However, four guys who shared an apartment got wise. While they were packing up, they sent one of them to get an inflatable raft (and a big one at that). When he got back, they blew it up and threw a bunch of computers and other valuables in it and left it in the living room. When the waters rose, the raft floated up and kept their stuff high and dry. When the waters receded, it gently set back down with all of their stuff still dry. Thousands of dollars in electronics, CDs and DVDs (which were big back then), school books, etc.

Sounds crazy, but ever since I have had a big inflatable raft still in the box. I pull it out every couple of years to make sure it isn't dry rotted and still inflates. Works like a champ. Holds up to 400 lbs if I recall. That's enough to hold all my basses (that I care about) and heads. I can replace cabs.

All my computer files are backed up offsite. The few paper photos I have are in a waterproof tub. Important documents are in a safety deposit box at the bank. My gear could ride up and down in the raft.

That being said, I turned down several amazing houses (pissed my wife off something terrible) to stay on higher ground....which is rare here in the flatlands of Eastern NC. If WE get flooded, then this area has MUCH bigger fish to fry than my bass gear.
 
If you lived in Houston and didn't have enough time to get a rental truck, load it up, and get out of the area in advance, what would you do to protect your musical gear with the flood coming?
Let's say you have a couple of dozen stringed instruments, half a dozen amps, recording computer, pre amps, microphones, and related connectivity gear.

put it all in the attic?

I do, actually just south of Houston between Houston and Dickinson Texas

Everything went well for me, but sadly not for many of my friends, neighbors and family.

All I could do was hoist my gear up off the floor onto a guest bed, and pray... Failing that, I have flood insurance and an excellent inventory.
 
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My family and their needs come first. After that and only after that will I consider saving material possessions like my gear.

Preparation, staying aware, and acting early is essential to any family's well-being. Keep in-mind that community warning programs are designed to suit the entire community at-large... your needs may be greater depending on your individual situation and threat at-hand. The last thing anyone should do is rely solely on community programs. They get outstripped quickly because the resources are limited in numbers and ability and the demand on them due to those who refuse to prepare and refuse to heed warnings is overwhelming. Knowing this, when they don't work for you, you only have YOU to blame. YOU are responsible for your family's safety. Step #1 in living up to this responsibility is accepting this responsibility.

So, we bought a house where flood risk is minimal. We have a tornado shelter and a weather radio and stay abreast of severe & fire weather conditions. We keep our lawn trimmed short and keep our property clear of branches & brush. We maintain insurance on our house and valuables and take pictures and record serial numbers. We keep online & off-site backups of our personal & financial records as well as intellectual property. We stay stocked on resources and we practice response plans. We stay ready.

Even if I have ample time when it actually hits the fan, I will only work to protect my most important basses. Recording equipment, mics, amps, effects, cabs & lesser basses are non-essential and/or replaceable, and therefore expendable.

The main hazards my area is prone to are tornado, wildfire, flood, winter/ice storm & earthquake. Of these my gear are really only vulnerable to tornado, wildfire & flood. Unless you consider it a threat that me being cooped during a winter storm means I'll be wearing my equipment out until the storm passes lol.

For tornado, I'll put my basses into the storm shelter BEFORE the storms threaten. For wildfire they go into the back of the truck BEFORE fires threaten. For flood they go in the back of the truck and we leave BEFORE the rains come and BEFORE mass evacuation makes escape impossible.

If I were to try to save *all* of my gear in the flood scenario you describe, I would put everything into hard cases, then into space bags, and then tie everything down in the attic. When I can get back into the house, I will protect my breathing from mold. Upon removing my gear from the house, I will spray off the space bags with bleach because floodwater is sewage and I really don't want any part of that nastiness. With any luck some of my gear will have survived the trial.
 
I mean no disrespect and my heart goes out to all involved.

I thought about calling Texas my home years back. A great music scene, enough right there, but there was more I liked.

One problem, maybe two.

Texas has floods and Texas has droughts.

Not sure if the other good things nullify these "inconveniences"?

I know I could deal with one or the other, but not BOTH, in the same state.

At this age, I'm sick of pushing the rock uphill.

Hope it subsides and gets better for all.
Texas also has blazing heat and bitter cold, with biting north winds. Dust, poisionous reptiles. We have all of that, but we also have fellow Texans, and for this reason I wouldn't think of living anywhere else in the world. Texans are tough, stubborn, hard-headed, and fiercely independant, but they're also the friendliest and most caring people in the world. We wave at strangers we meet on the road, and are polite & generous. Unless somebody messes with us. Those poor folks in SE Texas have suffered a great disaster, but they will come back stronger than ever. People in my north Texas neck of the woods are sending a steady stream of supplies, volunteers and money down their way. And we know they'd do the same for us, and in fact they have in the past. People all over the country have been overwhelmingly kind and generous, so props to them, but despite the "inconveniences", that's why I'll always live in Texas. It's a state of mind.