Although they are relieved their basements have been spared from more flooding by a recent storm, some East End residents are still concerned.
The city was hit with 40 millimetres of rain between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning with up to 30 more milimetres expected by midnight. No basement flooding had been reported as of Wednesday afternoon, but ever since heavy rain flooded as many as 3,000 homes last month, Jayne Martin has been looking out of the window of her McIntosh Street home every time it rains.
Martin has lived in the home for five years.
Last month’s rain filled her dugout basement with three feet of water. Although nothing was damaged, she’s worried that water could reach the main floor of the home and ruin her belongings if the rain continues.
When the rain began to fall Tuesday, Martin said she couldn’t sleep.
“I just live day to day and pray and hope the rain goes away,” she said. “I was really worried.”
Marin said she’s relieved the home has been spared so far.
Jacqueline Pronovost was baby-sitting at her daughter Tara’s McIntosh Street home Wednesday morning .
The two-year-old home flooded last month with everything from toys to a television floating in the basement.
“Everything was just a mess,” she said.
Pronovost’s daughter was relieved Wednesday morning when she woke up to find the basement was still dry.
“She didn’t really sleep much last night. She was worried because of the rain,” Pronovost said.
A capping project at the city’s landfill site was not spared by the recent storm however.
Crews had just finished a contract on the landfill’s 160,000 square metre East cell when last month’s rain washed most of the top soil and seeding away.
Garbage is covered with soil, sand and a geosynthetic clay barrier before a metre of soil and seed are placed on top. Almost the entire metre of seed and soil were washed away. Repairs had begun before rain on Tuesday and Wednesday caused more damage to the cell.
“A lot of damage was done to the landfill capping contract,” project engineer Matt Miedema said.
The city is planning to start the project again. The idea is to plant grass on top of the cell to prevent erosion. Miedema said the seed hadn’t been in place long enough to start growing.
Sediment from the damage filled ditches throughout the landfill site, even burying a small bridge over one ditch up to the handrails.
Environment Canada’s Geoff Coulson said the amount of rain left to fall depends on which way the storm system, which created chaos in Duluth and North Central Minnesota, moves. Coulson reminds people that while rain is the main concern, lightning from thunderstorms also pose a threat.
“If you can hear the thunder from the storm then it’s time to find the best shelter that you can,” he said.
Wait a full 30 minutes before leaving the shelter he added.
