EDMONTON - The past few weeks have seen Edmonton get hit hard by summer storms. Some parts of the city - especially those in south and west Edmonton - have been pummeled by almost three times the amount of rainfall that's typical for July. That has led to about 1,200 calls of flooded basements, and 3,000 calls to 311 about water-related issues this month.
In one Mill Woods apartment building, 25 basement suites were essentially gutted and the parking lot flooded by a storm on July 12. Leigh's third-floor apartment was not affected, but her car had to be written-off.
"When it rained the other day, just a couple of days ago, I was worried the parking lot was going to fill up again," she says.
All the damage has been keeping those like Melvin Macas, of Vericlean Restoration, busy. Macas says he's been ripping up drywall and pulling up the carpets at the building for the past two weeks. Inititally, he and workers had to even wear full-body suits because of a lot of the sewage backup.
"It was so messy, it was so dirty that lots of tenants they couldn't even take their stuff out," he explains.
Acting City Manager Bob Boutillier says other than the safety of citizens, the city's main priority is making sure key services stay running when extreme weather hits.
"Anything we need to do to keep the drainage open, the transit system running, police, ambulance - those are the key issues to us."
He adds that while there may be water backup on roadways for a little while because it does take time for it to drain, the drainage system is working as it should.
And in the case of a flooded Parkallen street earlier this month, Boutillier says that had debris not been there, the flooding in the roadway wouldn't have occured.
Since the 2004 floods, the city has spent tens of millions of dollars on upgrading the storm water system. Staff caution that it takes time, though.
"There is one particular pipe that's leaving the Mill Woods area that's not done, yet. And we hope that one, we should have it done by 2014," Lodewyk says.
There have also been some concerns about how high the water is getting in the city's Stormwater Lakes. But Lodewyk points out that the ponds are designed to take on water. At many of the lakes, there are even signs up that show you how far the lakes will come up.
Some more tips for residents who are ever affected by flooding:
1. Proceed with caution - if you smell gas, do not touch any electrical fixtures, switches or telephones. Leave the house and contact your utility company.
2. Check your electrical system and appliances
- Turn off all main switches using a dry switch, wearing rubber boots and globes and standing on a dry board. Thoroughly dry electric motor components.
3. Call your insurance company as soon as possible - they will advise you on clean up and claim procedures.
4. Call 311 to report dislodged manhold covers, plugged catchbasins and flooded basements (clogged catchbasins and dislodged manhole covers will take priority as streets need to be cleared as soon as possible; reporting of flooded basements is required in order to access the City Backflow Valve subsidy program.)
5. Disinfect all rooms and contents reached by flood.
And information on how to flood-proof your home:
Homeowners' Flood Prevention Guide
With files from Vinesh Pratap, Global News
© Global News. A division of Shaw Media Inc., 2012.