Hurricane Aftermath

The reason stuff like this is overwhelming is because everything has gone to shit all at once.

Once the water goes, you can start fixing things one at a time, including the problems with the house. Once you look at each individual game you can see what the damage was to each one, some like Pac-Man are plywood and you may not even be able to tell they got wet.
 
Sorry to hear about your loss Gotya, hopefully it's not as bad as it seems right now, all of us local folks should get together after the water recedes and see what we can do to try and save some of these games.

I'm not going to quote anybody but I wanted to address some of the statements in regards on what could have or should have been done in regards to this storm.

In regards to Hurricane prep -

A direct hit from a Hurricane would not have been as destructive or as widespread as this rainfall has been. I think all of Houston would have preferred another Hurricane Ike over this. The amount of rain has been unprecedented as in it's never happened before, how do you prepare for something that's never happened before? Who would have thought to elevate their games by the 3ft-6ft that would have been needed, I don't know about you all but most homes and garages do not have ceilings that high throughout the entire house or garage.

In regards to evacuating -

The last time they tried to evacuate the city it took people 23 hours plus just to get to the nearest shelter city, 107 people died trying to evacuate, whenever folks think that's a better option compare that to the current death toll, don't forget Houston Metro has a population of over 6 million.

This was a 1000 year flood event, how many folks are prepared for the bubonic plague that happened less than 1000 years ago so why not be ready for it?
 
Sorry to hear about your loss Gotya, hopefully it's not as bad as it seems right now, all of us local folks should get together after the water recedes and see what we can do to try and save some of these games.

I'm not going to quote anybody but I wanted to address some of the statements in regards on what could have or should have been done in regards to this storm.

In regards to Hurricane prep -

A direct hit from a Hurricane would not have been as destructive or as widespread as this rainfall has been. I think all of Houston would have preferred another Hurricane Ike over this. The amount of rain has been unprecedented as in it's never happened before, how do you prepare for something that's never happened before? Who would have thought to elevate their games by the 3ft-6ft that would have been needed, I don't know about you all but most homes and garages do not have ceilings that high throughout the entire house or garage.

In regards to evacuating -

The last time they tried to evacuate the city it took people 23 hours plus just to get to the nearest shelter city, 107 people died trying to evacuate, whenever folks think that's a better option compare that to the current death toll, don't forget Houston Metro has a population of over 6 million.

This was a 1000 year flood event, how many folks are prepared for the bubonic plague that happened less than 1000 years ago so why not be ready for it?

Very classy response!
 
After my game cabinets flooded last year about this time I just stripped them and that was that, but they were in 5 feet of water for a couple days. I will say though that once I started looking through the restoration threads I've seen some guys bring back cabs that I would have thought were surely toast. The particleboard on mine had started to swell all over though - not sure there's much I could have done. Couple of my favorites bit the dust. I've since picked up a donor Tempest cab but still on the lookout for the Gravitar. They shall rise again!! Your damage doesn't look too bad. Still - sorry for your loss man
 

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Hurricane Katrina put 10 feet of SALT water in our house, 2 feet deep in the attic. Nothing could be saved. When we arrived back to our house a month later, everything that was metal was corroded from the salt. the 25 games that were in my house were all thrown out to the curb along with everything else. It sucked, but life went on. Was thankful that we had heeded the evacuation order, unlike the rest of my family. They had to all be rescued by boat. My uncles lived 2 blocks from me, and they had to break through their attic ventilator. Luckily they were able to get through to the roof, or they would have died in the attic, like so many others did in my subdivision.

For those that say that you could have put the games up on blocks or boards, I say this. When you stay or evacuate for a hurricane, the last thing (if you have a wife and kids) you have time for is trying to save your hobby. Priority is getting everything in order, and if you choose to leave, getting everything packed up in your vehicle.

Luckily I had flood insurance, and my warehouse several miles away survived untouched.

Sorry to hear about your loss, and the best of luck to you in the rebuilding process. Loss sucks, but the rebuilding will happen and hopefully everything will be better for you, and who knows what new games you may replace the flooded ones with.
 
i just experienced my first loss due to harvey. i dont have
flood insurance but did apply for fema yesterday. the house was spared except
for having water underneath. i heard water bubbling under house and shed at the worst time of the flood. pretty much everything got soaked on the bottom. im not a man to ask for donations but im at a cross roads on this. not sure what to do or think. i do understand its pretty much every man for himself. what has been others previous experiences? rebuild or sell off parts? do mircales happen at this point? i was hoping to have a museum at some point but
reality (and my worst dreams) has set in.....

You have almost 300 machines? Did they all get damaged? I can't imagine. I really can't. So sorry.
 
You have almost 300 machines? Did they all get damaged? I can't imagine. I really can't. So sorry.

i havent made it to storage yet but if that is OK, i prob got about 30-50 games with damage between the garage and shed. the only thing i can do is leave the door open and let them dry. i wont be able start the restoration until i get a new building and raise $$ for cabinet work. right now, im answering questions from fema.

im not sure what kind of damage i can expect from the water getting underneath
the house and shed. the house may be OK but the garage and left side of the house got the worse of it. the shed got water all the way around. can anyone advise me on this? im not a carpenter by any means other than watching others...
 
Our company owns several large apartment complexes in the Houston area and we have already started to plan for the rebuild. At least one of our properties is a complete loss as they had water all the way up to the second floor on the building. These aren't small communities either as that one is just short of 200 units...

The main advice I can give is to get EVERYTHING out of that building so the air can get in and start drying it out. The building is the priority as they are expensive to replace. Tear out any carpet, wet drywall, couches, etc so you can get air to the frame of the building. Saving the building is the priority in my opinion. If you get mold, then that opens up another can of worms.

The foundation could have issues depending on the amount of water you got, and how fast it was rushing through your property. If it was a slow flood then you should be okay. You really won't know about that until down the road though.

If you have room in the house to bring the games there, then I would. I would also ferry them to one of your storage units if you can. Once it is dry, then you can bring them back. There are ways to assist with drying them out, but it will be impossible to find those machines down there - dehumidifiers, large fans, etc...

Good luck man. If I was down there, I would help ya out.
 
i started cleaning up a little today. some games are ok, some are not.
super pac is fine but needs a new bottom. star trek in converta-cab needs a bottom
section. im thinking this one could end up better than new. tank is ok. a little damage but no bad. i had this one up on 1x4's which kept damage minimal.
venture, black widow and gravitar were on wheels. no damage at all. super breakout needs work. not sure if this one would look the same after repairs? hero in dkjr cab is fine. gotta love those bases. i looked around in the garage and im going to need a star wars cockpit restore/new cab. subs got some damage too. since that one doesnt have sideart, i feel fine cutting a new cab for it. lots to go through but it looks like everything is drying out ok. the walls im not sure of but at least the floor is dry. by the end of the weekend, ill put everything back and close the door until i can get a new building. i think the shed is going to need the most work. here are a few pics..
 

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it might be hard to tell the hole in the pic. the bubbling sound i heard
came from inside the smaller add on (for lawn mower) section. i found this hole today.
 

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not a bad idea! i also love console games! they are easier to deal with!

I know you're passionate about these cabs Ronald but unless you open a museum in a place that would actually get traffic you are just hoarding them and I mean no disrespect behind that you know that. Danny said you said you would trade some cabs for a VR set up so just let some of those wet cabs go (or part them out) and get one because you would be so happy with an up to date console, trust me on that and besides you have hundreds more so you would barely miss them and folks could probably use the parts.
 
I know you're passionate about these cabs Ronald but unless you open a museum in a place that would actually get traffic you are just hoarding them and I mean no disrespect behind that you know that. Danny said you said you would trade some cabs for a VR set up so just let some of those wet cabs go (or part them out) and get one because you would be so happy with an up to date console, trust me on that and besides you have hundreds more so you would barely miss them and folks could probably use the parts.[/QUOTE

not all games got wet. some were just high enough. missle command cockpit, 4 player hat trick are fine-- anything that had a base survived. lots of others need help. havent seen Lunar Lander or red baron cockpit yet. those prob have damage. i have a small chance to make a museum work. i should know by the end of the year whether or not i can move forward or not.
 
Scarrrry stuff. Glad you and your family are OK.
 
not all games got wet. some were just high enough. missle command cockpit, 4 player hat trick are fine-- anything that had a base survived. lots of others need help. havent seen Lunar Lander or red baron cockpit yet. those prob have damage. i have a small chance to make a museum work. i should know by the end of the year whether or not i can move forward or not.

You know, for being that "pressed sawdust", my Lunar Lander cabinet got leaked on from a leaky roof, and while the bottom back(below the back door) swelled a bit, it's still solid as a rock. Don't underestimate the strength of Atari cabinets.

I'm up here wishing you all the best! I don't have anywhere near the collection you do, but I feel we both have the same level of passion for them. Just do what you can, and try to stay positive.
 
You know, for being that "pressed sawdust", my Lunar Lander cabinet got leaked on from a leaky roof, and while the bottom back(below the back door) swelled a bit, it's still solid as a rock. Don't underestimate the strength of Atari cabinets.

I'm up here wishing you all the best! I don't have anywhere near the collection you do, but I feel we both have the same level of passion for them. Just do what you can, and try to stay positive.

that's because Atari adds just a touch of cement in their cabs.
#heaviestcabsever
 
Yeesh. I should probably just sell all my stuff off and abandon this place.

I didn't get hit that hard at all, really, but I've only been working on this 30 year FHA loan for a few years (which is to say I'm only about $10,000 in and am mostly just paying interest). My detached building is surely ruined (I don't have the time or resources to get that fixed up anytime soon), and I'm looking at having to have the garage, patio, storage room, laundry room, and 2 guest rooms gutted and restored (and I doubt I can do it myself, my health isn't the greatest these days). Oh and of course the kitchen, too, which will be murder in and of itself. Realistically, housing prices down here will probably plummet and I'll never get my investment back out of this.

Seriously doubt this is the first incidence of water damage either. First major, but my patio and garage have probably rotted since the LAST major storm and spread mold spores everywhere in the walls and attic already.

I guess I'm just going to have to hope that I got everything suitably dried out, dehumidified, and sanitized and keep plodding through bit by bit at a pace I can handle. I can't seem to find a crew to come do the demo right now anyways, and if I did that would surely render the place unlivable for an extended period. I have to get back to work eventually as well though so I don't see a way around paying someone to do the work. :(
 
Yeesh. I should probably just sell all my stuff off and abandon this place.

I didn't get hit that hard at all, really, but I've only been working on this 30 year FHA loan for a few years (which is to say I'm only about $10,000 in and am mostly just paying interest). My detached building is surely ruined (I don't have the time or resources to get that fixed up anytime soon), and I'm looking at having to have the garage, patio, storage room, laundry room, and 2 guest rooms gutted and restored (and I doubt I can do it myself, my health isn't the greatest these days). Oh and of course the kitchen, too, which will be murder in and of itself. Realistically, housing prices down here will probably plummet and I'll never get my investment back out of this.

Seriously doubt this is the first incidence of water damage either. First major, but my patio and garage have probably rotted since the LAST major storm and spread mold spores everywhere in the walls and attic already.

I guess I'm just going to have to hope that I got everything suitably dried out, dehumidified, and sanitized and keep plodding through bit by bit at a pace I can handle. I can't seem to find a crew to come do the demo right now anyways, and if I did that would surely render the place unlivable for an extended period. I have to get back to work eventually as well though so I don't see a way around paying someone to do the work. :(

im working to form a group like the game preserve. we start off by finding a place where we can hang, fix and play games. the arcade, if it happens, would be a bonus. at the least the games will be enjoyed and not crammed in a box.
 
wood damage

I have restored and repaired lots of water damaged cabinet. In the past I used wood hardener but it was expensive. I came across something on Youtube I believe. In the video the carpenter used wood glue as a replacement to wood hardener. Add a small amount of water to the wood glue. Just enough so the wood glue is easy to work with. Use a paint brush to apply the diluted wood glue over the damaged area. After the area is dried it will no longer flake off and is sand able. This also works for paint prep for oil based painting. I'd attempt to place the cabinet upside down and allow the solution to run into the wood. I apply a little of this solution as cabs get nicked over the years. It seals the exposed area quickly.

I almost destroyed a Galaga but saved it with this method. It now sits inside my soon to be released Arcade school bus conversion (another story).

I also cut out the lower section of some of my cabinets because they were too far gone. It's not very difficult and cheaper than finding a complete replacement.

Wood damage along with extreme moisture is very common in this area (Corpus Christi). I see it all the time. It's not the end of the world.




Keywords: Wood hardener, wood damage, restoring, swollen wood, damaged, wood glue, painting, MDF,
 
With cabs that are still wet, I have used bleach water to prevent mold. I have switched to use a baking soda mixture. Baking soda raise the PH level and doesn't evaporate like bleach does.
 
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