EDMONTON – Dozens of homes and businesses suffered flooding damage while a section of the Yellowhead Highway was buried in water Sunday after the Edmonton region was hit by its second major rainstorm in the last few days.
PHS Disaster Services, a local firm that responds to flooding, received more than 200 calls from the city’s south side, as well as Stony Plain, Spruce Grove, Beaumont and Morinville.
Company president Sun Yoon said many of those property owners suffered damage not covered by insurance. meaning they could be on the hook for repair costs between $20,000 and $50,000. For larger structures, such as the 2,800-square-metre Southside Pentecostal Assembly, the repair bill could be in the $100,000 range. Church members were re-organizing day care programs on Sunday due to flooding.
“Insurance only covers perils that are caused by a sewer backup or ruptured pipes,” Yoon said.
“If it came through a crack in the foundation or a basement window well or though a door opening, it’s considered seepage and that’s not covered.”
Some residents may qualify for the city’s FloodProof program, which offers subsidies toward the installation of backflow valves.
Yoon said PHS is still dealing with entire neighbourhoods that were deluged in the storm that hit early Thursday. He said it will take weeks to complete repairs.
Meanwhile, drivers travelling on Highway 16 between Spruce Grove and Stony Plain faced delays due to flooding. RCMP said a large culvert came loose, allowing a significant amount of water to spill across the pavement.
The highway was closed from Range Road 274 to Stony Plain Highway 779 for much of the day, and it is not known when the section will reopen.
Long lines of vehicles are being rerouted via Secondary Highway 779 to Highway 16A.
Persistent rainy conditions on Sunday stretched across large parts of central Alberta from Whitecourt to Lloydminster. Forecasters said the Edmonton region was expected to receive close to 50 millimetres by Monday, when the rain is expected to taper off.
Some areas west and north of the city have already reported more than 75 millimetres of precipitation.
However, the storm clouds have so far stayed away from the part of the province they are most needed – the northwest region, where several wildfires continue to burn.
Provincial information officer Heather Hawkins said fire crews did get some good news Sunday with higher humidity in the region as well as lower temperatures due to cloud cover.
“That should help the situation but you have to understand these are very large fires and it’s going to take a lot of get them under control,” she said. “Expect smoke and firefighters out there working for the next weeks to come.”
Rain is expected in the area Monday, but precipitation might actually push smoke down into communities, making air quality worse, Hawkins said.
The worst of the fires, near Zama City, has burned 117,500 hectares according to the most recent thermal imaging.
With files from Michael Gregory
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