Winnipeg has its wettest spring and summer ever, and foundations can't keep up with calls for help from homeowners.
"The city's homeowners are probably facing challenges they've never seen before," said David Rennie, president of Seal-Rite Foundation Repair. increase.
According to David Phillips, senior meteorologist at Environment Canada, he's been getting well over 620 mm of rain in the city, but it's not over yet.
The previous record he had in 1962 was 624 mm.
"Here's the situation: when it rains, the boys make it rain," Phillips said.
According to Phillips, it has rained four times as much as he normally does this year.
"I have seen the last month since January, and all but one month was wetter than usual."
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Over the past few months, the state has experienced land-based flooding and flash flooding, with people reporting flooding in basements.
"Even with the amount of snow we've had in the winter and the tonnes of rain we've had in the fall, homeowners across the city are facing water problems they weren't even aware of." said Lenny.
Foundation repair companies are completely dumbfounded by the amount of rain seen in the city.
"I've never experienced anything like this. I've been with Avalon for 43 years and I've never had a year like this. Nothing compares," said Abalon. said Gerry Bonham, General Manager of Foundation Repairs.
The phone is ringing and Abalon hasn't even taken an appointment to fix the foundation.
"I've been trying to talk to people I know about the problems they're having about what to look for in terms of water, opening walls, examining floor drains, etc. And make sure we are said to be running," said Bonham.
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According to Bonham, if Abalon had a waiting list, there would be 1,000 people on the list.
"I don't know if there are hundreds, hundreds, or even thousands of calls. We get a lot of inquiries." The biggest problem we are facing now is that the soil is now absorbing all that water as the previous drying has dislodged cracks in the concrete from the house.
"The soil is very saturated and the water has nowhere to go. So we have leaking cracks that aren't a problem now or this year," Rennie said. .
However, when homeowners are flooded and can't find someone to fix their foundations, there are a few things they can do.
"Make sure fans, air movement, dehumidifiers are working," said Lenny.
"We don't want mold and mildew to start growing because that's a different issue. And we're just going to do what they can to minimize it really. Water intrusion problem.”
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Homeowners Another issue for consumers is insurance. According to insurance broker Susan Gilbert, flooding and the types of coverage available are very complex issues.
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"Depending on your insurance company, coverage may vary," she said.
Where water comes from tends to be the first issue when talking about insurance.
"So the best thing consumers can do is talk to their insurance brokers and make sure they really understand what their exposures are," Gilbert said.
A homeowner's best defense is prevention, and there are ways to prevent floods from occurring.
"They can often have back-up sewer coverage available, which means they can now begin mitigation work and install suitable sump pumps in their homes." I will,” she says Gilbert.
"Some homeowners actually add a secondary pump or motor for the pump and sit on the sidelines ready to flip the switch if the pump fails."
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