Shelly Christian was the first to discover the bad news Monday morning at Regina’s Rainbow Youth Centre.
“When I walked into the building I could smell sewer and I went oh that doesn't smell good so I made my way downstairs and saw the water,” Christian said as she stood on the stage of the centre’s flooded gymnasium.
People aren’t allowed on the gym floor, as it isn’t sanitary after being covered in almost a foot of sewer water.
The water was pumped out Monday, and now cleanup is underway. While crews clear out the gym inside, outside, garbage is piling up.
The centre’s kitchen was also hit by the flood, damaging cupboards and industrial kitchen equipment. The damage means the centre has suspended its youth care program, which feeds supper to youth in need.
"It’s shut down for those youth and it’s terrible because they count on us to have their supper and have a safe place to be. They rely on us,” Christian said.
Christian hasn’t received a plumber’s report on the cause of the flood, but she suspects sewer backup, given the contents of the water. The centre doesn’t have sewer backup insurance, and if Christian is correct, it will be on the hook to cover the cleanup, restoration, and replacing all of their damaged furniture and equipment.
“It’s very overwhelming to think how we are going to move forward with this,” she said.
The centre has launched a GoFundMe page to help cover the potential costs. The goal is to raise $150,000.
