Dozens of basements flooded due to Monday night rainstorm in Weyburn
City crews and residents are cleaning up after a heavy rainstorm rolled into Weyburn Monday night.
Based on Kasey Fowler’s rain gauge, his yard on 6th Street got about six inches of rain. His basement was flooded with even more water.
“There was basically a water line around our entire basement. I measured it and it was at 39 inches,” Fowler said.
“It looked like our house had been ransacked. There were freezers tipped over, the couch had been moved, everything was just kind of laying on the ground.”
Fowler is still sorting through the damage, but he said most things are replaceable, like his wrecked DVDs and couch.
However, he said the family photo albums will be a tough loss.
As of Wednesday afternoon, SGI Canada had received 55 claims from the Weyburn area, according to spokesperson Tyler McMurchy. The majority of claims were related to sewer back up, he said, and a handful of claims were for vehicle damage.
McMurchy said residents who are waiting to see an adjuster should start the clean up process themselves and keep the receipts for any costs associated with cleaning.
“Take a lot of photos and video to document what’s been damaged and what’s been lost. Record model numbers if possible, as well,” he said.
“You want to have as good of a description of those damaged items as possible.”
Monday’s flood also damaged city streets and opened up some sinkholes, according to the city’s director of engineering, Jennifer Wilkinson.
She said crews started blocking off streets around 10 p.m. Monday night and will continue to assess the damage in areas of the city.
“We had lots of streets that were barely passable, completely flooded out into people’s yards, and draining issues, so we had crews out releasing catch basins” Wilkinson said.
The pool was the only city facility that suffered significant water damage, Wilkinson said. It will stay closed while officials clean up and assess the damage.
The storm filled the city’s lift station, forcing crews to drain the wastewater directly into the ditch rather than the lagoon, Wilkinson said.
“The water was rising so fast that we couldn’t keep up,” she said.
“(The direct release) was to keep it from backing into people’s homes and having the sewer essentially back up.”
The city has applied for the provincial disaster assistance program. If approved, residents will be able to submit claims for damage that is not covered by insurance.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
BREAKING 14 suspects arrested in grandparent scam targeting seniors across Canada: Ontario police
An interprovincial investigation into an 'emergency grandparents scam' that targeted seniors across Canada has led to the arrest of 14 suspects, Ontario Provincial Police say.
Motion to allow keffiyehs at Ontario legislature fails
A motion to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh within Queen’s Park failed to receive unanimous consent Thursday just moments after Ontario Premier Doug Ford reiterated his view that prohibiting the garment in the House is divisive.
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.