Nitrogen tank issues and Flooding Back Home

Written by Lonny and Erika (March 29, 2010)

I will be glad when I can actually get up in the morning feeling rested. I missed my family this morning, which is not surprising, since I have to call them by 6am to catch them before Erika puts them to bed at 9pm on school nights.  But tonight they went to bed early and I arose a little late. I felt like I had low blood sugar and just couldn’t wake up. At home, Erika brings me some orange juice or yogurt to get me going. I miss that when I am here.

Danny and I went to the federal semen collection site to refill our tanks with nitrogen, but they said that they didn’t have enough to give us any because the power has been off and on lately. We worked with them until we finally convinced them to give us a few liters just to put keep the tanks viable. We tried going to the University next, but they only have a small compressor. Danny will have to go tomorrow 150 km to another research center to get it. It is easy to get frustrated with the bureaucracy and inefficiency here in Ethiopia. There are times when I spend a lot of time and make so little progress.

I went with Georgianna and Dr. Debay up to their farm about 40 km north of Addis.  They have several buildings constructed, and are almost ready to start with the cows.  She has done a lot of research about the milk market here in Addis.

This evening I checked my computer and found a call for help from Erika.  A water line broke in our upstairs laundry room and flooded several rooms throughout both floors of our house. She seems to be handling it alright considering I can’t really do anything to help her. She is fantastic! 

{Erika here} -- The steel-enforced tubing under the sink in our upstairs laundry/bathroom busted open. Must have been a flaw in the part. Water gushed out for 30 minutes before I noticed it! The worst part is that I *heard* the water, but I was in another room and thought it was the washing machine! Grrr! 

By the time I realized what was happening, it had flooded the bathroom, into the hallway and onto the dining room wood floor, through the floor into the downstairs ceiling. 

When I discovered it, I ran downstairs to shut off the main water supply, and was met at the bottom of the stairs by a HUGE amount of water pouring through the doorframe at the bottom of the stairs. It seriously looked like a waterfall! 

I dashed through the sheet of water, noting the completely saturated carpet as I ran, and tried to shut off the water. It is in a very awkward corner of Jessica’s bedroom closet, and you can barely get your hand through the opening. I tried to turn the knob, with no success. It was stuck fast. I said a quick prayer, “Please Heavenly Father, give me the strength to turn this off!” I tried again, with all my might, and it turned off. Silence.

I walked back into the hallway to see what damage had been done. 

The carpeting through the hallway and part of the family room was soaked, and water was still dripping from the light fixtures. It looked & sounded like I was in a cave. I looked up at the ceiling, and the drywall was so water-logged, that there were huge bubbles in it, drooping down, stretching the paint nearly to a breaking point. I quickly realized that this was much more than a shop-vac situation. 

I called the insurance company and was given permission to immediately get some water damage specialists to the house. A friend from my Church came over to help me clean up a bit and another friend who is a plumber offered to come over in the evening to fix the source of the leak. This was wonderful, since the insurance covers the damage caused by the flood, but not the cause of the flood. Thank goodness for great friends! 

As difficult as it was, I was really grateful for good home insurance and a great water cleanup team (Water Solutions of Payson, Utah).

Thanks to great support from my family & friends, I was able to make it through without having a complete nervous breakdown! 

And. . . I am now (several months later) enjoying beautiful new wood floors in my dining room, and many newly repainted walls. . . And all for one moderate co-pay and a heck of a lot of inconvenience! I'm sure glad it's over with! ~Erika