Boylston Chess Club Flooded

After the more than 10 inches of rain that dumped on the greater Boston area this weekend, our Bolyston Chess Club has flooded with up to a half inch of water.

The damage is so far relatively minor, with only a few boxes of items beyond saving. The carpets may also be hard to save. We also have not tried the computer yet, but we hope it is still OK. No books or paper records seem to be damaged. Also, the water appears to be fairly clean at this time.

Our current plan is to be ready for Saturday's $10 Open, but at this time, having the club ready by then is still in doubt. The biggest problem is that our club appears to be under the water table, which means that any pumping out of the water (which is currently underway) has little or no effect-- the water just seeps back in.

That being said, a team of volunteers is planning to mop, pump, wet vac, etc. the club starting on Thursday/Friday when hopefully the water table will have lowered enough to effectively keep the water out. When we get the water cleared, we will require extensive cleaning of the floors and furniture to avoid mold and further damage.

If you are willing to help us out, please contact me at rihel_AT_mcb.harvard.edu or contact another of the board members. The largest effort will probably be on Friday, but I will keep people posted on this blog. We will need many hands, buckets, and mops, so any time you can give will be most helpful.