Every four years, just before the summer Olympics, Lori Kajutis’ basement floods.
In 2008, the year Beijing hosted, water poured into the basement of Kajutis’ Ontario Street home causing $14, 000 of damage. Insurance covered none of it.
In 2012, Olympians headed to London, while water again found its way into Kajutis’ basement and led to another $14,000 in damage. Insurance covered $3,000 of it.
On Sunday, as Rio continues to prepare for the 2016 Games, Kajutis and her family had just finished clearing the last of the water from their basement that was delivered by a major Saturday evening thunderstorm.
She doesn’t expect insurance will cover any of it.
“There was absolutely nothing we could do but stand there and watch all the water pour into the basement once again,” Kajutis said. “We were helpless.”
Kajutis stood in a small puddle in her basement as she had flashbacks of 2012.
“All I could think was, ‘Oh no not again.’”
Two major thunderstorms ripped through the city Saturday. One came in the morning, while another much stronger system hit in the evening.
According to the Lakehead Regional Conservation Authority those two storms, and some drizzle throughout the afternoon, produced 92 millimetres of rain for the city.
That’s not too far off from the May 2012 flood, which saw an estimated 108 millimetres of rain drop in 36 hours. That flood, however, is what many climate scientists and meteorologists labeled a 100 year weather event.
Over the past few years, Kajutis has put time and effort into the renovation of her basement, but she rarely has time to enjoy her renovated basement as flood damage forces a rebuild.
After last night, she expects she will begin the renovations of her 800 sq.-ft. basement again after a complete tear down.
“It’s a little house but I did all that work with my own two hands. I learned how to drywall, mud, tape and sand all by myself,” she said.
Payment will also be something Kajutis will have to do on her own. After the 2012 flood, insuring for water damage was no longer an option.
The homeowner’s frustration with the city is growing after the trio of floods. She believes city council has turned its back on neighbourhoods like hers that face repeat flooding.
“The city doesn’t think we are worth it,” she said. “They aren’t going to do anything for us, and I don’t know what to say, what to think or what to do.”
Kajutis’ predicament isn’t unique. The floods of 2008, 2012 and now 2016 have caused significant damage to homes across the city, with neighbourhoods in the Northwood, McIntyre and McKellar wards usually facing the most widespread destruction.
City of Thunder Bay general manager of infrastructure and operations Kerri Marshall said about 230 calls were received through the dispatch centre last night relating to a number of issues.
*video by Jon Wilson/ TBT News
Of those calls about 20 were related to sewage backup, another 80 for basement flooding, and remainder mostly dealing flooded roadways.
City staff are still recovering from the storm’s aftermath. Crews are out assessing, inspecting and patrolling areas, Marshall added.
Unlike the flood of 2012, Marshall said overall there were no major infrastructure failures. Specifically, the Water Population Control Plant managed the flows through the facility.
“The city is making significant investment in infrastructure we are working towards closing our infrastructure funding gap and we are hoping to be able to do that over time.”
