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St. John’s dealing with aftermath of weekend rainstorm

The city received 200 complaints from residents with flooded basements.

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Rural areas like Goulds and Kilbride were hit the hardest, and melting snow and high winds only added to the problems, said Paul Mackey, director of public works.

According to Larry Hay, regional manager Atlantic Canada at Cunningham Lindsey Canada Ltd., the company’s St John’s office has experienced a steady influx of claims due to wind and rain.

“There are a number of claims associated with wind damaged roofs and resultant leaks, water from ice damming and melting snow but the highest number of claims we have seen are for water backing up into basements particularly in older sections of St John’s wherein the storm sewer system may have been overwhelmed,” Hay told Canadian Insurance Top Broker February 14.

He advised St. John’s residents who have basements that are susceptible to flooding to install back-pressure valves and sump pumps, and to keep items off the floor or in plastic storage containers.

Local brokerage president Tom Hickey of Wedgwood Insurance Ltd. agreed and said insureds in flood-prone areas should have sump pumps with backup generators for power.

“Areas are experiencing damage due to a combination of snow fall, rain fall, increased construction density without upgraded municipal infrastructure, as well as aging infrastructure that needs to be modernized,” said Hickey on February 15.

Watch Canadian Insurance Top Broker for more on this story.

This article was originally posted on February 14 and updated February 15. 

With files from The Canadian Press.