Watch above: The storm that swept through Saskatchewan this week hit Humboldt the hardest with five inches of rain falling in just 12 hours. Wendy Winiewski took a trip out to the town today and surveyed the damage.
HUMBOLDT, Sask. – A massive weather system making its way across southern Saskatchewan Tuesday brought torrential rain and strong wind to many areas. The small city of Humboldt, 120 kilometres east of Saskatoon, was one of the hardest hit communities.
Locals report receiving between 114 and 127 millimetres of rain in 12 hours. It was a downpour unlike anything Humboldt residents had ever experienced.
The heavy unrelenting rain battered the town beginning early Tuesday morning. It carried on through the afternoon causing flooding in homes that have never flooded before, according to resident Sophie Irlbeck.
“Well, it’s a disaster!” explained Irlbeck standing in her basement.
By Wednesday afternoon, the carpet of her home had been removed and several fans were roaring.
Irlbeck’s home is on elevated ground and her basement is shallow compared to her neighbour’s. She was confident her home would never flood.
“We had two inches that came up from the sewer,” she said, still emotional over Tuesday’s event.
Sewer back-ups are what caused most of the flooding, according to Humboldt Mayor Malcolm Eaton.
“Basically our sewage system can’t handle the amount of water that’s coming in so they’re pumping it into ditches or down the path into the creek,” said Eaton, describing the effort made by city workers during Tuesday’s storm.
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The efforts were in vain. The sewage system still couldn’t handle the excess water routed directly to it from the weeping tile of older homes. It’s a problem the city tried to mitigate after a similar incident in 2010 by installing super pipes for surplus water during rain events. The pipes hold 2.1 million litres of water. Within eight hours of heavy rainfall Tuesday, they were all completely full.
Since being installed, the pipes have stopped flooding, but this storm was too much to handle.
“It could have been a lot worse if we didn’t have those tanks,” said Eaton, trying to stay positive.
The exact number of flooded homes is unknown, but the number of restoration companies parked along residential streets, particularly in the northwest quadrant of the community, is a good indication.
“We had 40 phone calls in about two-and-a-half hours,” said Tyler Johnston, with Service Master Restoration.
READ MORE: Regina residents have their work cut out for them after fierce storm
The Saskatoon company has been inundated with calls since all local restoration companies booked up during the storm.
Johnston will gut Irlbeck’s home and several others on the block.
“There’s going to have to be two feet replaced at the bottom of all the Gyprock,” said Irlbeck.
It’s a story similar to many other area residents who will be dealing with the after-effects of the downpour for weeks to come.
A few homes in Saskatoon also flooded, including the Richmond Heights, Nutana and City Park neighbourhoods.
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