... it occurs to me to recall that we're in a flood plain here.

As I understand it, flood insurance (which you get through an insurance agent but which comes from the government) really doesn't cover much, if all you get is a couple feet of water in the basement. You're covered to the extent which you could be expected to have items (yes) in the basement. So your furnace is covered; your water heater is covered. But your comic books? No, you could have stored them somewhere else. I seem to recall that even your washer and dryer wouldn't be covered, if you were just talking about 24 inches of wet.

Which is why we gave up on flood insurance after the first couple of years here. Furnaces and water heaters just aren't that expensive. And, though we had lots of items in the basement, it didn't seem likely that the loss of any of them would have been covered.

Now, however, we're hearing stories about nasty floods in communities way to the south. And they're talking about houses being moved off their foundations. I've got to think flood insurance in those cases would cover more than what was in the basement. Maybe it's time to rethink things.

(Mind you, different solutions to collection threats raise many questions. If there's a tornado, things are safer in the basement; if there's a flood (or a broken water pipe), things are safer on the first or second floor; if there's a fire, the most vital things should be in ... um, the freezer? By the back door for fast evacuation?)

Moannn.