The Great Spring Flood of '09, Part I

ATTENTION: THE CAFE WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

"Man was created by water to carry it uphill"
-Tom Robbins

a cheesy "peace offering,"
a gift of fresh baked cheese bread delivered by our neighbors, who were well aware of the kind of day we were having

What began as a routine outing to acquire ingredients to make ourselves breakfast on our day off, was detoured abruptly upon my arrival at the front door of the cafe. At first glance I noticed water flowing out of the premises and onto the street, and as I opened the door to a completely flooded cafe a sense of panic rushed over me. The sound of flowing water summoned my attention to the cafe bathroom, and in full disregard of our alarm I splashed my way through the giant puddle that was the dining room, and toward the back of the restaurant.

A burst copper supply line spewed water throughout the bathroom. The culprit! Within seconds of trying to reconnect the line I was completely drenched, and it was fully apparent that this accident would be no easy fix.

In my panicked state I had forgotten to turn off the alarm, causing it to go off. The trip to the keypad allowed me my first chance to survey the extent of the damages. By this point water had reached every corner of the of the restaurant, basement included. Dripping from head to toe, and not quite sure what my next course of action should be, I made my way back to the bathroom to confront the source of the debacle. The copper line that had become dislodged from the sink was flexible enough to redirect into a nearby utility sink, buying me precious time to search for a nearby shut-off valve. Of course, however, there was no shut-off in sight. Only slightly less panicked, I knocked on my landlord's door in search of some help. Together we were able to shut off the main waterline from the street. I took a well deserved deep breath.

Cue the Cops.


By the time the police showed up in response to the alarm I had already made a few phone calls and determined that this was not the type of flood that could simply be mopped and dried by hand. Wet/dry vac? Maybe if I had two or three. No, this was a job for professionals. Upon the recommendation of more than a few individuals I was able to schedule a midday appointment with the nice folks at Servpro.


Consider yourself lucky if like me, you had never until today heard of this company. If however you should find yourself in a situation similar to the one I am describing now, look no further. Within two hours of arriving at the cafe the Servpro techs had removed the majority of the visible water from the floor. Apparently, that's the easy part. Currently, and for perhaps the next five to seven days, we enter phase two of the process: de-humidification.


In order to ensure that the cafe is completely dried out, and to inhibit any potential mold growth, the nice folks at Servpro have advised that we allow at least five to seven days for commercial fans and dehumidifiers to finish the job. At that point we will be able to place furniture, begin repairing the wall base and paneling that was removed during cleanup, and fill and patch the holes that were drilled into our walls for proper aeration. Not exactly the kind of early morning grocery trip I had envisioned, but I do feel extremely lucky to have discovered the accident when I did.

Five to seven days? It seems hard to believe; the news coming after our busiest weeks at the cafe ever. Needless to say lately we had been feeling like we were a wave just about to crest, and it's frustrating encountering a setback like this. Heartbreaking really, like a slap across the face, the challenges we face in this business at times making us feel as though its nearly impossible to get ahead. What are we supposed to tell our employees and our vendors who depend on our income this week to help support their livelihoods? How do we explain this freak accident to our community and friends who frequent our establishment and literally put food on our table? How do we remove that sour taste left in mouth's of newcomers who venture out to a visit only to be met by locked doors? How do we sort this mess out with our landlord and insurance companies? How does Little Red Bike Cafe essentially survive The Great Spring Flood?

Well, what are we to do when something like this happens other than to dust ourselves off and roll with it. We must continue to move forward, which at this point means getting the cafe open again as soon as we can. Unfortunately water will be water, and we can do nothing more than let nature (six fans and nine commercial dehumidifiers) take its course.

We'll let you know as soon as we do, when the cafe will reopen. Until then, trust that we'll be gorging ourselves on leftover Balsamic Strawberry Ice Cream and fresh baked cheese loaves.