Someone told me long ago: There's a calm before the stormMother Nature is having her way with my house. On Wednesday I went down to the basement and discovered a dead bumble bee in the middle of the floor being masticated by red ants. The bee was dead so the hows and whys of it are of no matter now. The ants however, are a problem, although not as much of a problem as the large puddle I came home to on Saturday night.
I know
and it's been comin' for sometime.
When it's over
so they say
it'll rain a sunny day
--CCR Have you Ever Seen the Rain
From the CBC.ca website
Homeowners, public works crews and emergency responders in southern Manitoba are beginning a major cleanup after severe thunderstorms pounded the region over the weekend.
Environment Canada said 53 millimetres of rain fell on Winnipeg on Saturday and several major streets remain closed because of flooding.
The towns of Portage la Prairie and Emerson each recorded record amounts of rainfall, a spokesperson for the weather agency said. Emerson has declared a state of emergency because of the damage done to property in the community.
Read more
My friend George noted on his Facebook status that he felt "feels 10 years younger...because for the first time in 10 years, he has to bail out his fricking basement". Me, I felt 10 years older for being a homeowner who had returned to find that her house needed a diaper. I got to work with my mop, pushing the water into the storm drain. I spent an hour on the clean up getting it mostly dry before deciding I could go to bed at midnight.
I had a lousy sleep full of weird dreams. At four I was awake and could hear the rain again. I decided to check downstairs. The puddle was back. Feeling helpless, I went back to bed and waited until it was a decent hour to phone my dad.
Springtime in Winnipeg didn't used to mean monsoon season. Winnipeg has suffered some depressing and wet summers the past two years but I think we thought we were getting back to the sunny side of things this year. Climate change. Yes, I'm a believer. I've been here long enough to know that this isn't the weather I grew up with. This is something different. Is it the product of the human lifestyle or just a cycle in nature, I don't know, but I have to wonder if I'm seeing the beginnings of a new Atlantis.
My dad came over in the morning with his ShopVac and sucked up the water. He got about 15 gallons of water and it continued to seep in. The ground is just so saturated and the sewers so full that the water has nowhere to go but old basements. Fortunately my basement is just a storage space for me although I did have a lot of books in cardboard boxes that will need to be aired out.
Dad burnt out the ShopVac. The sun and blue sky are back out now although the forecast is calling for more precipitation tonight and tomorrow. Good thing I have that canoe.
5 comments:
I thought you were anti-CCR? are you mellowing out in your "old age"? :p
that's too bad about the water coming in. I'm sure you weren't alone. I saw fountains coming out of manholes last night. if you don't have them already, have you considered installing a backflow valve and/or sump pump? check out this website for more informative information.
I have a small, once in a historical flash-flood seepage problem. Last year when we had the torrential downpour and soggy summer I didn't get any water. Backflow valves and sump pumps are certainly Mike Holmes approved solutions, but they are hecka expensive. Also, they really only work for homes that have weeping tiles. My home was built in the early 1940s and I've been told that it doesn't have a weeping tile. Even if it did, the early versions were made of clay and therefore it probably would have crumbled and collapsed by now. Yes, you can get a weeping tile repaired/installed, but again we are talking big money that you don't get back in the resale of your home. People don't pay extra for dry basements, they expect that the home comes with one.
And yes, I still hate CCR.
I came into my studio on Sunday morning to -ironically- retrieve my rubber boots so my family could all go to the Teddy Bear's Picnic, only to find three inches of water covering the entire floor of my building. . .
Doug
Aw Doug, that's awful. I hope you didn't lose anything.
I'll know if a few days when some electronic items are dried out. . . I'm too scared to plug them in right now.
I feel worse for you though. . I hate water-damaged books. . the way they get all wrinkley. . . and they always smell funny afterwards too. I hope you didn't lose too much. . .
Doug
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