Flood: Almost Everyone Has A Story To Tell

Here is a TV reality show idea: visit homes with basement after Chicago style storms.
Everyone has a story to tell... "I woke up in the morning, and whoa there are ___ in/ft of water!"
Follow by "I have never have any flood in ____ years".
Follow by a) "My Sump Pump is busted" b) "There is crack in the foundation" c) "Power got knocked out", d) I don't even know.

Yes, my basement is flooded.

Storms are getting more and more severe. Thunderstorm brings tremendous amount of water in every time. This is mother nature reminding you again She is NOT HAPPY with you earthlings!

Look, it really is stupid to have carpet in basement. I should know better. In fact, it is stupid to have a basement. It is better to have an attic than a basement.
Basement is bound to get wet. Even if you have a perfect sump pump, mother nature may decide to knock out your power. Ha, you got a generator to outsmart it? Good! Are you sure it won't fail you when you most need?

Business idea: manufacture devices that have self-check routines and make it connect to a display.
So if the sump pump stopped working I would know. Things like smoke detectors should have some mechanism to send battery life status to the display so I change the battery before high pitches hit my ear.

Even if it work perfectly, the city's water system may overflow and water may come out of your drain and give you a feet of water!

So carpets need to be ripped out, dehumidifier and fans need to be in and tiles to be put on. Even if you have tiles water may still damage you if you don't mop quick enough.

Insurance did you say? They don't cover it, unless you buy their ultra expensive policy that outweighs your damage. They only cover the most unlikely events such as UFO abducting your house for fun.
It is a horrible calculation to do if you add up how much innocent dollars to quietly pay them over your lifetime.

It really was a horrible weekend. Some highways had to be closed. Everyone has a story to tell.