Catastrophe...

[Lil' Lavery]

We had a similar, but not nearly a severe situation happen to our robot the night before IRI 2005. It was a torrential downpour outside, and the tarp covering our trailer with the robot in it had developed several holes on the drive to Indiana. The next morning we found our robot soaking wet (with about an inch of standing water in the bottom of it) and covered in "tarp dust". We spent several hours that morning going over our entire robot with paper towels, hair driers, compressed air, and WD40. Luckily our electronics board was removable, so it was removed from the rest of the robot, and dried carefully and with special attention. Thanks to some excellent help from Arefin Bari and Tytus Gerrish, we managed to get our robot running again in time for our first qualification match! The worst problems were a blown fuse and some rust on the gears. It never was quite the same robot, but at least it functioned.
Hopefully you can do the same with your robot, and hopefully you can still have a competitive season. Contact IFI and local teams to see what help they may be able to provide. Make sure all your electronics are COMPLETELY dry before powering them. Lubricate anything that can rust. Flush out and drain anything that might still have standing water in it. Be careful, and remember safety first.
If there is anything 116 can do to help you from Virginia, feel free to IM, PM, or e-mail me.