The past 2 days my husband and I have spent all our time trying to put a motion together to stop her appeal.  

Too late now, things are in motion that can not be undone.

If discovery motions are required, you are out at least another $2,500-$3,000 or more if your county does not do telephonic hearings. 

Actually, what I probably would have done would be to vacuum up the water myself when it first happened, send the bill to the landlord for reimbursement (shop vac, dehumidifier, whatever), and looked for an alternative place to live rather than stay in a house with soaking wet carpets for 6 or 7 months.

mode=newI've never tried searching in NC before, but I have had luck going to the tax assessor websites for various places and going through the motions to pay a tax bill for a particular property address. 

I ordered some motion-sensing alarm systems for the 5 vacant units I have right now.  

I second the motion of Craigslist; advertise free firewood. 

I gave work to Water damage restoration company, which was working on it and had left their fans and dehumidifier running for arnd a week in bathroom and also in downstairs room.

However, like the alchemists in search of a formula for turning lead into gold and the inventors searching for a perpetual motion machine....hope springs eternal.

DEHUMIDIFYING AND DRYING AFTER WATER DAMAGE REMOVALS ABOVE: - PLACE POWERFUL DEHUMIDIFIER TO REMOVE THE ADDED MOISTURE THAT REMAINS IN THE BASEMENT AIR. - PLACE INDUSTRIAL AIR MOVERS THAT MOVE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF AIR TO SPEED THE DRYING PROCESS.4.