Who would have thought that an inland Canadian city could resemble post Katrina New Orleans! Sadly at least 3 have lost their lives and tens of thousands have been evacuated.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/triumphs-amongst-the-turmoil-in-flooded-calgary/article12759074/ (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/triumphs-amongst-the-turmoil-in-flooded-calgary/article12759074/)
I was there yesterday morning and I will be there again tomorrow morning early. It is a f*cking mess in a big city.
Hang in there, I know what you're going through.
It's not just Calgary. Both sides of the Rockies are getting flooded. My parents had to make an 8 hour detour to get out of Fairmont, BC and back home (usually a 2.5 hr trip). Not too bad here in Vancouver this year but I spent last night and this morning filling a couple thousand sandbags in case we get a repeat of last year's flooding.
British Columbia already trying to hog the water. It is funny. Southern Alberta is very dry but not this year.
I normally work downtown, but I've been told to work from home which I can do. My downtown office building is not flooded, but the power is off.
Fortunately my house is on high ground and not near any rivers. My heart goes out to those affected. I made sure to donate to the Canadian Red Cross.
The local meteorologist said that June is usually the wettest month for Alberta. Early May was dry, but the rain really started in late May and there's been mostly wet days since.
Quote from: WallysWorld on June 22, 2013, 09:39:21 PM
I normally work downtown, but I've been told to work from home which I can do. My downtown office building is not flooded, but the power is off.
Fortunately my house is on high dry and not near any rivers. My heart goes out to through affected.
Glad you're safe WW.
Thanks, LongBlade.
Been hearing and seeing RCAF CH-149 Cormorants flying over my area heading back and forth to High River south of Calgary.
Hope all the Grogs and their families up north stay safe.
We're getting some flooding here in the States as well. Omaha has been spared so far (unlike previous years).
Stay safe, folks.
Quote from: WallysWorld on June 22, 2013, 09:39:21 PM
I normally work downtown, but I've been told to work from home which I can do. My downtown office building is not flooded, but the power is off.
Fortunately my house is on high dry and not near any rivers. My heart goes out to those affected. I made sure to donate to the Canadian Red Cross.
The local meteorologist said that June is usually the wettest month for Alberta. Early May was dry, but the rain really started in late May and there's been mostly wet days since.
Glad you are off the floodplain. Some of my family and friends not so lucky. I have been going back and forth from edmo by car and by plane. June is usually the wettest month...
as of about five days ago it was the wettest month in Southern Alberta ever recorded, only half way into the month. Some places recorded well over 100 mm of rain in eight hours.
High River is just f*cked.
thank goodness we're not anywhere close to a flood problem here... just the occasional tornado, or hurricane blowing inland
Quote from: WallysWorld on June 22, 2013, 09:39:21 PM
I normally work downtown, but I've been told to work from home which I can do. My downtown office building is not flooded, but the power is off.
Fortunately my house is on high dry and not near any rivers. My heart goes out to those affected. I made sure to donate to the Canadian Red Cross.
The local meteorologist said that June is usually the wettest month for Alberta. Early May was dry, but the rain really started in late May and there's been mostly wet days since.
Glad you're okay, WW. My sister and brother in law and the kids are from High River. Currently sounds like Wednesday at the earliest before they can even go back.
y'know, it wasn't that long ago we were talking about what's in your "go" bag... While I wish none of y'all needed to use them, I'm wondering if you did and how they worked out for you
tack on your thoughts (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=2612.0)
My brother and his family was evac-ed on Friday. Hopefully only their basement will be flooded. I still own a property (rental house) but thankfully it is up past 16th Ave N.
A boring video of troops deployed around where AB's sister lives, mostly my old homies ... PPCLI
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/troops-arrive-flood-ravaged-high-000000254.html
Everyone please stay safe up there. I'll admit to being selfishly glad none of the deaths so far have been people we know.
Good news for you Martok: http://www.vulcanadvocate.com/news
People must be mulling over the cost benefit of a dam on the river upstream of Calgary to spread out the peak water. If its a 100 yr flood no big deal, if it becomes every 3-5 years it's an issue.
Quote from: Longdan on June 23, 2013, 02:45:46 PM
Good news for you Martok: http://www.vulcanadvocate.com/news
Cool.
Quote from: Mr. Bigglesworth on June 23, 2013, 07:37:44 PM
People must be mulling over the cost benefit of a dam on the river upstream of Calgary to spread out the peak water. If its a 100 yr flood no big deal, if it becomes every 3-5 years it's an issue.
Indeed.
Would a dam do the most good there, though? What about a flood channel instead?
Question for Windy.
Another thunder storm moving through tonight. The air feels humid to the point you want to squeege yourself dry.
Quote from: Mr. Bigglesworth on June 24, 2013, 08:03:56 PM
Another thunder storm moving through tonight. The air feels humid to the point you want to squeege yourself dry.
Stay safe.
I'm fine, it's Medicine Hat that will be hit the most. I'm not sure if they are past the Calgary water yet.
The bad news : At least another week until High River becomes habitable again.
The good news : House gets damaged or wrecked? It's covered. Every level of government is pretty much banding together to cover things not covered by insurance. They're also putting together a pre-paid debit card program through the Red Cross, so anyone stuck as a refugee can at least have a bit of money to cover essentials.
that's great that they're putting the relief together like that. dDown here all the gov't jurisdictions would spend too much time fighting about who's in charge instead of just getting stuff done.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on June 25, 2013, 08:39:49 PM
The bad news : At least another week until High River becomes habitable again.
The good news : House gets damaged or wrecked? It's covered. Every level of government is pretty much banding together to cover things not covered by insurance. They're also putting together a pre-paid debit card program through the Red Cross, so anyone stuck as a refugee can at least have a bit of money to cover essentials.
Cool. Glad folks will get the help they need.
Quote from: Mr. Bigglesworth on June 23, 2013, 09:34:54 PM
Question for Windy.
Dams like a lot of things are much more complex than they appear... even after the 2nd look. Good damsites are very rare. Good damnsites that don't have a lot of people living where the reservoir would go is even rarer. This in a communist country though is not an obstacle, but in Alberta it presents a big problem.
AB gov. has been looking at sites on the bow for years.... unless we have a windfall year of royalties... it won't happen ... we'll study the problem to death, but unless we think its worth 2-3 billion in total cost.... ain't gonna happen
and yes thats what it would cost IMO, land purchases, construction and fucking engineering consulting fees, and lawyer fees and of course compensating natives for their losses to their traditional lands
Quote from: Windigo on June 26, 2013, 08:59:01 PM
...fucking engineering consulting fees.....
Hey now... careful..... without engineers you all would living in caves... or glass bubbles designed by artsy-techs....... :P
Quote from: Barthheart on June 27, 2013, 05:31:20 AM
Quote from: Windigo on June 26, 2013, 08:59:01 PM
...fucking engineering consulting fees.....
Hey now... careful..... without engineers you all would living in caves... or glass bubbles designed by artsy-techs....... :P
Hey I love engineering ... just not when they go to the darkside [big consulting firms] and think their services are worth 600 dollars an hour .... FWIW I'd hire a 10 year DUC engineering tech over a 5 year civvie any day.
RCMP in High River have gone into people's homes, taken their guns and locked them away in a supposedly safe location. I don't know if I agree or disagree with this move.
"The Mounties scoop "a large quantity of firearms" from homes in the near ghost town of High River while the population is kept out under an evacuation order. The guns are now in the local cop shop and can be picked up when the proof of ownership is produced."
http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/06/27/temperature-rises-over-mounties-firearms-seizures-from-homes-in-evacuated-high-river
"The RCMP also revealed Thursday that officers had seized a "substantial" number of firearms from homes in the evacuated town.
The news angered many residents who wondered why police had the right to enter residents' homes and take belongings. Sgt. Brian Topham responded the move was made for the sake of safety."
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/high-river-evacuees-to-learn-when-they-may-return-home-1.1345511#ixzz2XWhEPtnL
Hoo boy.
RCMP might have been tipped off that baddies were going looking for easy guns.... ???
For clarification, they only took firearms that were obviously improperly stored. Gun laws are very clear that they need to be locked up and a trigger lock used during transportation. They also did not go into the homes for the purpose of finding firearms, rather for SAR purposes. If they saw an unsafe firearm... they took it. Dumb fucking rednecks
Perhaps when things quiet down they can come down here and help some of our folks out... ::)
QuoteThe U.S. Park Police has lost track of a huge supply of handguns, rifles and shotguns, according to a report released Thursday on the law enforcement agency responsible for safeguarding the National Mall and critical American landmarks.
In the scathing report, the inspector general's office of the Department of Interior faults staff at the agency for having no idea how many weapons they control and says the department has no clear policies or procedures for investigating missing weapons. The office said top managers, including the police chief, have shown a "lackadaisical attitude toward firearms management."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/06/28/us-park-police-lost-track-huge-supply-weapons-report-says/
Quote from: Windigo on June 28, 2013, 11:09:56 AM
For clarification, they only took firearms that were obviously improperly stored. Gun laws are very clear that they need to be locked up and a trigger lock used during transportation. They also did not go into the homes for the purpose of finding firearms, rather for SAR purposes. If they saw an unsafe firearm... they took it. Dumb fucking rednecks
Pretty much this. Of course, the usual lunatic fringe is now selling this as the government Gestapo (direct quote) punishing High River for voting in someone from a different party, while also locking down a police state (again, actual quote). As for why the cops are going door to door, they and other rescue workers have been pulling pets that had to be left behind out of houses to be transported to animal shelters. They're also playing wack-a-mole with a few hundred idiots who have refused to leave. If they see a gun out, they're grabbing it and taking it to the police station. Now, a legit question that has yet to be answered is how people prove which guns they own. Chances are good that at least a few sets of papers are currently flooded out.
The bad part of it is that the High River municipal government has done an absolutely piss poor job of disseminating information and running the rebuild. The province finally took over today, and it's probably overdue. Comparisons between the job done by Calgary's mayor (honestly, nobody is likely to even bother running against him next election) and High River's mayor (dead man walking) make it even worse. So tempers were already flaring.
They finally have a staggered return being put together for residents, but it isn't going to be fast. The SouthEast corner of the town is still awash. That's where my sister and the brood live. Current estimate for their return : 3-5 WEEKS.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on June 28, 2013, 08:26:01 PM
They finally have a staggered return being put together for residents, but it isn't going to be fast. The SouthEast corner of the town is still awash. That's where my sister and the brood live. Current estimate for their return : 3-5 WEEKS.
Damn.
That's a lot of Wiggles re-runs...
Quote from: Arctic Blast on June 28, 2013, 08:26:01 PM
Quote from: Windigo on June 28, 2013, 11:09:56 AM
For clarification, they only took firearms that were obviously improperly stored. Gun laws are very clear that they need to be locked up and a trigger lock used during transportation. They also did not go into the homes for the purpose of finding firearms, rather for SAR purposes. If they saw an unsafe firearm... they took it. Dumb fucking rednecks
Pretty much this. Of course, the usual lunatic fringe is now selling this as the government Gestapo (direct quote) punishing High River for voting in someone from a different party, while also locking down a police state (again, actual quote). As for why the cops are going door to door, they and other rescue workers have been pulling pets that had to be left behind out of houses to be transported to animal shelters. They're also playing wack-a-mole with a few hundred idiots who have refused to leave. If they see a gun out, they're grabbing it and taking it to the police station. Now, a legit question that has yet to be answered is how people prove which guns they own. Chances are good that at least a few sets of papers are currently flooded out.
The bad part of it is that the High River municipal government has done an absolutely piss poor job of disseminating information and running the rebuild. The province finally took over today, and it's probably overdue. Comparisons between the job done by Calgary's mayor (honestly, nobody is likely to even bother running against him next election) and High River's mayor (dead man walking) make it even worse. So tempers were already flaring.
They finally have a staggered return being put together for residents, but it isn't going to be fast. The SouthEast corner of the town is still awash. That's where my sister and the brood live. Current estimate for their return : 3-5 WEEKS.
3-5 weeks is pretty extreme. Life on hold for a month? Not good. Just to be devil's advocate for a second it is possible that after Calgary sucked all the first responders, they moved on to the other big cities down river.
As for the idiots that refuse to leave, maybe they dont like the RCMP riving their panty drawer. J/K :P Some people may actually have a disaster safe home. Rounding them up is wrong.
I have mixed feelings about them seizing property. Clearly SAR can be used as a pretext to have a raid on absolutely everyone in a town. Not that I have a problem with them seizing drugs or illegal guns. I am quite happy they do it. I just wish it was not under false pretense.
So yeah, I expect local city council to be soon unemployed.
One of the claims that has been made repeatedly against the Mayor is that the municipal government of High River repeatedly turned down offers of heavy equipment and people who know what they're doing when it comes to disaster relief, telling people "No, we got this." If that now turns out to be true...yikes. The Mayor might not be replaced, he might by lynched.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on June 29, 2013, 12:07:45 PM
One of the claims that has been made repeatedly against the Mayor is that the municipal government of High River repeatedly turned down offers of heavy equipment and people who know what they're doing when it comes to disaster relief, telling people "No, we got this." If that now turns out to be true...yikes. The Mayor might not be replaced, he might by lynched.
IIRC that's what happened with NOLA and the former governor of Louisiana. :/
Quote from: Arctic Blast on June 29, 2013, 12:07:45 PM
One of the claims that has been made repeatedly against the Mayor is that the municipal government of High River repeatedly turned down offers of heavy equipment and people who know what they're doing when it comes to disaster relief, telling people "No, we got this." If that now turns out to be true...yikes. The Mayor might not be replaced, he might by lynched.
if you look at the physical topography of high river.... right smack in the middle of the flood plain. They didn't just get hit hard by flooding the got massacred
Quote from: Windigo on June 29, 2013, 05:32:34 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on June 29, 2013, 12:07:45 PM
One of the claims that has been made repeatedly against the Mayor is that the municipal government of High River repeatedly turned down offers of heavy equipment and people who know what they're doing when it comes to disaster relief, telling people "No, we got this." If that now turns out to be true...yikes. The Mayor might not be replaced, he might by lynched.
if you look at the physical topography of high river.... right smack in the middle of the flood plain. They didn't just get hit hard by flooding the got massacred
Here we go, this will be one of those revolving door towns like in the Mississippi delta where people are just too stubborn to pack up and move the town. Especially if the Government is footing the bill each time. Watch, this will be the same shit every 5 years.
This is rapidly descending in to absolute gong show territory.
The first residents were allowed back, but with restrictions of two people and two contractors per house. No explanation for these limits, since every other flooded community has encouraged more help and volunteers with plenty of success. And the limit wasn't publicized prior to people arriving, meaning they were actually turning away family and volunteers at the town entry point.
So then people start their tear-out, only to learn that no garbage plan has been put in place. What the Hell everyone has been doing for the last week and a half that they were too busy to plan is beyond me. Finally, a plan has been created today. But they didn't supply homeowners with some of the supplies that were supposed to be handed out, meaning gigantic sopping piles of contaminated drywall, insulation, baseboard, flooring and carpet are just lying in heaps all over the place.
The town is proudly announcing that they're pumping out 40,000 gallons a minute...without any total amount to pump that would put that rate in to context. They're doing it by district, which is fine (and the only way to keep the water from just backflowing in to another neighborhood). But they're refusing extra pumps, and they're again not explaining why. As you can imagine, this isn't sitting well with folks being told they can maybe come back in 3 weeks. Really, if this ends up at the 5 week mark, every single structure in those parts of town will be so contaminated with mold that they may as well just crank up the bulldozers. And speaking of that, announced today is that temporary housing will be put up in Calgary. Of course, they forgot to announce how anyone can get their name on the list to get in to that housing.
Everything is just being thrown together with absolutely no planning or thought invested. The town put nothing in place, then they handed it off to the province, and they're flailing around instead of organizing. It's an absolute mess.
And the media, who are completely barred from the town, aren't doing anything either. Sources on Twitter are the ones basically forcing the town and province to hand out actual information while the media focuses on the 'They took our guns!' part. Are there questions to be asked there? Yes. But how about spending some time on the fact that two thirds of the damn town IS STILL FLOODED, no information is being delivered, and nobody seems to know what is going on? Oh, that's right, that would be difficult and require you to actually do your jobs. >:(
When was the last time there was this kind of flooding in these neighborhoods? Did they even exist then?
Quote from: Staggerwing on June 30, 2013, 01:52:23 PM
When was the last time there was this kind of flooding in these neighborhoods? Did they even exist then?
Every few years, flooding in High River will consist of the river rising to the point that the bridge is closed, essentially cutting the town in half. But anything beyond that is very small scale.
This sounds like there's a control freak idiot in the mayor's chair. I would be looking very carefully at who is getting paid for doing what around there.
That's terrible Arctic. Sounds like Katrina.
Somebody put the fire chief or the military in charge. The circling garbage trucks should have been obvious.
According to this the Mayor gave up on Friday.
"On Friday, Alberta stepped in to run High River after Mr. Blokland threw in the towel and called for help. This was a bigger job than a town of 13,000 can handle on its own, he said. Sinkholes, electrical problems and uncleared water make parts of the town dangerous. The province has pledged $50-million to start rebuilding in High River.
...
Hours after taking over from the mayor as head of operations in the town, Rick Fraser, associate minister of regional recovery and reconstruction for High River, laid out a plan to get people back into their homes. First on Saturday will be residents of the northwest quadrant, an area of about 1,000 homes that sustained the least amount of damage."
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/high-river-mayor-asks-alberta-government-to-take-control-of-town/article12884493/ (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/high-river-mayor-asks-alberta-government-to-take-control-of-town/article12884493/)
Hey, at least the Calgary Zoo hippos did not escape. Imagine the horror of being eaten by a hungry hippo floating through Saskatchewan.
Quote from: Mr. Bigglesworth on June 30, 2013, 10:29:32 PM
Hey, at least the Calgary Zoo hippos did not escape. Imagine the horror of being eaten by a hungry hippo floating through Saskatchewan.
Wait until winter. I'll bet they could feed a family for a while.
Quote from: Windigo on June 30, 2013, 03:09:57 PM
This sounds like there's a control freak idiot in the mayor's chair. I would be looking very carefully at who is getting paid for doing what around there.
Yeah, as Bigglesworth's links above show, that was the case for a time. The province does seem to be trying, but they're stuck playing catch up after a week of absolute incompetence.
The latest : a second neighborhood was allowed in today. Still no garbage pick up. Oh, and everyone seems to have forgotten that there is no food. No grocery stores or restaurants are open. Turns out some Calgary food truck operators have tried to come in, but they need permits to come through the barricades. Also, THOUSANDS have signed up to help as volunteers...and they also can't enter. The same pointless restrictions of two people and two contractors per house are barring them from entry. And there is still no explanation for that at all. It's inevitable that people are going to start sneaking in, because this is just stupid. Hell, I'll do it if necessary if/when my sister is finally allowed back in.
A couple of CTV reporters snuck in today. I'm glad to hear it. Thus far, media have been allowed only at the main checkpoints. I hope they get some good footage. Maybe some questions might finally start being asked. And nothing forces changes like a government being embarrassed.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on July 01, 2013, 04:07:16 PM
And nothing forces changes like a government being embarrassed.
That is what the EU is thinking.
Quote from: Mr. Bigglesworth on July 01, 2013, 06:01:44 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on July 01, 2013, 04:07:16 PM
And nothing forces changes like a government being embarrassed.
That is what the EU is thinking.
I dunno.
Our government seems be require stupidity as a requirement on a resume.
Quote from: LongBlade on July 01, 2013, 06:05:19 PM
Our government seems be require stupidity as a requirement on a resume.
at least when we buy a sub it catches fire because of a pissed of rating not because its a design feature. ::)
Holy crap! Unlimited help and volunteers allowed in to town, and a complete drop of the need for passes? More pumps being added, and being actively sought out? You'd almost think the hand-over from municipal to provincial authorities is benefiting the town!
So yeah, it looks like things have turned the corner a bit. Thank goodness for that.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on July 02, 2013, 04:58:01 PM
Holy crap! Unlimited help and volunteers allowed in to town, and a complete drop of the need for passes? More pumps being added, and being actively sought out? You'd almost think the hand-over from municipal to provincial authorities is benefiting the town!
So yeah, it looks like things have turned the corner a bit. Thank goodness for that.
Glad to hear someone knows how to help.
Quote from: LongBlade on July 02, 2013, 04:59:24 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on July 02, 2013, 04:58:01 PM
Holy crap! Unlimited help and volunteers allowed in to town, and a complete drop of the need for passes? More pumps being added, and being actively sought out? You'd almost think the hand-over from municipal to provincial authorities is benefiting the town!
So yeah, it looks like things have turned the corner a bit. Thank goodness for that.
Glad to hear someone knows how to help.
Seconded. Glad things are finally starting to improve a bit
AB.
The City of Calgary is recovering exceptionally well. The world famous Calgary Stampede is proceeding mostly as scheduled. The theme for this year, "Come hell or high water"
Heh; nice.
The Calgary turnaround has been amazing. They've cleared enough to go ahead with the Stampede (which is THE big event for the city every year), the C-Trains are back up and running as of earlier today, and their volunteer turnout to assist with cleanup has been massive. Really impressive.
I went to the Stampeded once as a kid. It was awesome.
Part of me still years to be a chuckwagon racer.
Well, my brother in law was finally able to check out the house. Still no power or anything to that section of town, but we at least have some idea of what to expect.
This is a photo we tracked down of the house during the flooding. Their place is the right side of the duplex over on the right edge of this photo :
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1290.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb528%2FElCliff76%2Fth_e638c1ccdac011e2922a22000a1fdc29_7_zps93fff7d7.jpg&hash=384ccc83b2af20512bf0738bf8b58cc53eaf8f54) (http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/ElCliff76/media/e638c1ccdac011e2922a22000a1fdc29_7_zps93fff7d7.jpg.html)g]
Sounds like the water was confined to the basement, but it was at least 4 feet deep. So the basement is pretty much going to have to be torn out at this point. The two older kids' rooms were down there, so they're a little bummed out at the moment. The yards are just smothered in mud. Insurance guys will have to go out and do their thing, but his car is likely a right off (it was in the driveway the whole time). So it's not as bad as was feared...but it's still going to be quite a bit of work. And they were lucky...some houses were entirely underwater, some trailers were drifted off of their foundations, all kinda of nasty stuff.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on July 04, 2013, 09:01:50 PM
Well, my brother in law was finally able to check out the house. Still no power or anything to that section of town, but we at least have some idea of what to expect.
This is a photo we tracked down of the house during the flooding. Their place is the right side of the duplex over on the right edge of this photo :
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1290.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb528%2FElCliff76%2Fth_e638c1ccdac011e2922a22000a1fdc29_7_zps93fff7d7.jpg&hash=384ccc83b2af20512bf0738bf8b58cc53eaf8f54) (http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/ElCliff76/media/e638c1ccdac011e2922a22000a1fdc29_7_zps93fff7d7.jpg.html)g]
Sounds like the water was confined to the basement, but it was at least 4 feet deep. So the basement is pretty much going to have to be torn out at this point. The two older kids' rooms were down there, so they're a little bummed out at the moment. The yards are just smothered in mud. Insurance guys will have to go out and do their thing, but his car is likely a right off (it was in the driveway the whole time). So it's not as bad as was feared...but it's still going to be quite a bit of work. And they were lucky...some houses were entirely underwater, some trailers were drifted off of their foundations, all kinda of nasty stuff.
Although it is bad Im glad it isn't any worse for family. Hopefully the insurance people can do their jobs quickly and start writing checks so you can get the work done.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on July 04, 2013, 09:01:50 PM
Well, my brother in law was finally able to check out the house. Still no power or anything to that section of town, but we at least have some idea of what to expect.
This is a photo we tracked down of the house during the flooding. Their place is the right side of the duplex over on the right edge of this photo :
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1290.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fb528%2FElCliff76%2Fth_e638c1ccdac011e2922a22000a1fdc29_7_zps93fff7d7.jpg&hash=384ccc83b2af20512bf0738bf8b58cc53eaf8f54) (http://s1290.photobucket.com/user/ElCliff76/media/e638c1ccdac011e2922a22000a1fdc29_7_zps93fff7d7.jpg.html)g]
Sounds like the water was confined to the basement, but it was at least 4 feet deep. So the basement is pretty much going to have to be torn out at this point. The two older kids' rooms were down there, so they're a little bummed out at the moment. The yards are just smothered in mud. Insurance guys will have to go out and do their thing, but his car is likely a right off (it was in the driveway the whole time). So it's not as bad as was feared...but it's still going to be quite a bit of work. And they were lucky...some houses were entirely underwater, some trailers were drifted off of their foundations, all kinda of nasty stuff.
well private insurance won't help, they never provide overland flood insurance, so it'll be a contractor working for the govt. disaster relief program... your sister's family better be prepared for getting bare bones reimbursement AND they better not argue with the guy.... he knows he's spending taxpayers money and he'll guard it from jerks who piss him/her off trying to spin more money out of the claim. He'll be tough but fair. My oldman and his neighbour had similar damage from a cloudburst event in Stony Plain, but because the neighbour was a jagoff, he got thousands less.
Quote from: Windigo on July 05, 2013, 02:03:38 AM
well private insurance won't help, they never provide overland flood insurance, so it'll be a contractor working for the govt. disaster relief program... your sister's family better be prepared for getting bare bones reimbursement AND they better not argue with the guy.... he knows he's spending taxpayers money and he'll guard it from jerks who piss him/her off trying to spin more money out of the claim. He'll be tough but fair. My oldman and his neighbour had similar damage from a cloudburst event in Stony Plain, but because the neighbour was a jagoff, he got thousands less.
They actually might have caught a break here. It sounds like there is zero indication of any water flowing in through windows and the like, and it looks like all of it came up through the sewer. And their insurance DOES cover damage resulting from sewer backups resulting from flooding.
And the basement is already gutted. Brother in law put out a call for volunteers, and about 10 people showed up. So everything is out. Now they need to clean and get inspections and the like done before the power can be turned back on.
One last update. The tear out is finished. The province has brought in a lot of heavy equipment to clear away garbage. Inspectors were in the house, and it has been declared livable. Power, water and sewer are back on. And the insurance is covering everything EXCEPT the garage, since the damage there was from overland flooding. But there's a good chance the province will cover repairs for that area.
That's good to hear arctic, many wont be as fortunate.
Quote from: Windigo on July 10, 2013, 05:12:47 PM
That's good to hear arctic, many wont be as fortunate.
+1
Glad to hear it.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on July 10, 2013, 04:19:42 PM
One last update. The tear out is finished. The province has brought in a lot of heavy equipment to clear away garbage. Inspectors were in the house, and it has been declared livable. Power, water and sewer are back on. And the insurance is covering everything EXCEPT the garage, since the damage there was from overland flooding. But there's a good chance the province will cover repairs for that area.
Thanks for the update,
AB. For as much as I wish everyone well up there, I'll confess to a selfish relief that you specifically (probably) won't be hit too badly in the pocketbook by all this.
Yeah, it's working out well for the family...who are returning home on Saturday! I love spending time with the kids, but...yeah. I plan to spend Sunday sleeping. ;D