An aggressive storm cell that dumped up to 60 millimetres of rain on Yorkton, Sask. on Sunday has some businesses closed following the long weekend.
Flood water seeped into over a dozen properties along Broadway St W, including Ramsay Health and Fitness. Owner Dawson Ramsay was called to the gym by a coworker, who told him the fitness space was covered by 15 centimetres, or six inches, of water.
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“It’s just a mess of water under the mats.”
Ramsay and his coworkers spent Tuesday ripping out the mats that covered the entire gym, mopping the floor beneath. Thousands of dollars worth of fitness equipment was also damaged by water.
“I think within a year we’re going to have a lot of problems. I think they’ll all have to be replaced. Most of the motors were in the water,” Ramsay said, referring to the waterlogged treadmills that lined a wall.
Ramsay said he hopes he can reopen his gym to customers by Thursday.
The stretch of Broadway St W where Ramsay Health and Fitness is located has been identified as a flooding ‘hotspot’ by the City of Yorkton.
Mayor Bob Maloney said that street is one of five or six areas that floods regularly when drainage systems are overwhelmed.
Flooding in Yorkton is becoming unfortunately familiar, according to the mayor.
“We’re getting bigger storms and we’re getting them more often,” Maloney said.
“I talked to a family this morning that had five feet of water in their basement and it’s devastating for these families.”
Yorkton did not declare a state of emergency, but Maloney said he had been in contact with provincial counterparts like Premier Brad Wall and the Minister Responsible for Emergency Management Organization, Jim Reiter.
Businesses and residents can apply for disaster relief funding through province.
In the meantime, Maloney said the city is investigating the possibility of installing mechanical pump stations in the drainage system around flood hotspots.
“It’s an expense but it’s something we need to look at,” said Maloney.
Yorkton is also currently working on a $12 million storm sewer expansion project.
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