The end of June and beginning of July were especially trying times for two Saskatchewan communities - Maple Creek and Yorkton. Flooding devastated the unlucky areas on June 19 and July 2, respectively. Despite an unusually wet spring and summer in the Estevan area, local residents and their homes were at least spared the property damage and financial nightmare that comes with a flood, which is deemed an act of nature, and not covered by insurance companies.
Except for one local resident.
On June 23, more than 12,000 gallons of rainwater poured into Cheryl Alexus' basement at 434 First Street. The water had flowed downhill from Perkins Street and began steadily pooling up against a berm, out in front of Alexus' house. The berm, which was put up to protect against flooding, was evidently no match for the large amount of rain flowing down the street. Soon, the water overtook the temporary blockade, and began gushing into Alexus' basement through a hole in the front yard, which had been made earlier in the day while crews put in new sewer lines.
"All of a sudden the water just started to shoot through. It just let loose, and it filled the basement in 10 minutes," said Alexus' boyfriend, Tim Wishart, who was in the house at the time.
The water came in so quick, and in such huge supply that there was little Alexus and Wishart could have done to reduce the damage. The debate now, however, is whether more could have been done in the hours beforehand in order to prevent the catastrophe from happening.
Insurance companies, both Alexus' personal one and the City's insurance provider, have held the line and deemed the flood an act of nature, leaving the homeowner with a $40,000 bill to account for damage and loss of property.
Alexus and Wishart, however, believe the flood happened due to human error, and want to see the City workers held liable for negligence. The City maintains it had no wrongdoing in the matter.
Meanwhile, Alexus has spent nearly three months without a home to stay in, and just wants some help to have the damage debts paid off.
Her story is very different, although equally as harrowing, as those of the flood victims in Maple Creek and Yorkton.
Alexus had moved into the house on First Street about four weeks before the flood took place. Shortly after moving into her new home, she decided to have the sewer lines replaced in the 53-year-old house. While doing so, a plumber advised Alexus that she have the sewer lines on the outside of the house checked as well. Soon after, City workers visited the house to check on the sewer lines running from the street to the curb (the City's responsibility), and determined that they, too, needed to be replaced.
Having already put new sewer lines in her home, and with plans in place to have the City's sewer lines replaced, Alexus thought it would be appropriate to have the remaining sewer pipes, from the yard to the curb, updated as well.
Glen Peterson Construction Ltd. arrived at the house on June 23, contracted by the City to replace the lines on both sides of the curb. City workers did the work on the street side, while Peterson's employees did the work in Alexus' yard. The Peterson track hoe was used by both parties to complete the work.
At about 3:30 p.m., after all of the new piping had been put into place, the City worker in charge told the hoe operator to shut down - they would return the next day to have the topsoil put back on the yard, which would mark an end to the project.
At this time, the entire yard had been dug up, and a large mound of dirt stood at the front of the yard, with a large hole exposed, leading into the basement.
As was the case during much of the spring, thunderstorms were in the forecast for the entire day.
The Peterson track hoe operator, who was of the mind that the hole should be filled that afternoon, said he would be able to have the topsoil put back into place within an hour-and-a-half. The track hoe, however, was unable to get at the dirt and get close enough to the house to fill the yard because the gas line to the home, which runs along the street in front of the house, had been uncovered during work on the City's sewer lines.
In order to allow the track hoe a chance to get at the mound of dirt, the City would need to bring in a back loader to fill the street. According to Wishart, the City was unwilling to pay the overtime to bring in the loader and shut down the operation until the next day.
"They shut down our operator and the hoe, and it was something to do with overtime, that's what my operator told me," said Tyler Peterson, general manager of Peterson's Sand and Gravel Division, who was unable to go into further detail due to possible insurance ramifications on his company's side, as well.
"We were just the contractor hired by the City, that's all we were ... we would normally fill our holes every night, but when you're shut down..." Peterson trailed off.
The workers on the scene did, however put up a temporary blockade along the street to protect the open yard, in case of heavy rainfall.
Needless to say, less than three hours later, at 6:10 p.m., the rain started coming down in droves, and the neighbourhood became a flood zone.
As her basement filled up with water, a panicked Alexus called the City worker in charge. The City, in turn, called the Peterson track hoe operator, as well as Harris Oilfield Construction for a vacuum truck, to help with water removal.
Wishart raced over to his shop to grab a large water pump to help as well.
Janice Harris, a truck dispatcher for Harris Construction, arrived at Alexus' house with the vacuum truck. She described the scene as nothing short of chaotic.
"It was sickening; I felt sorry for her," Harris said. "Everybody was just devastated - it was unreal. You could see the water coming back out of the house while we were sucking it up."
All in all, Harris said the vacuum truck sucked up four loads of water, which would measure somewhere between 12,000 and 15,000 gallons; an amount exceeding anything Harris has ever seen sucked out of a basement before.
When the last drops of water were finally removed, everything in Alexus' basement was wrecked, and this would mark the last night, for months, that she would be able to stay in her new home.
Luckily, she had somewhere to go. Wishart allowed Alexus to stay with him for the time being, until her home on First Street became habitable again.
The house remained without power for three whole weeks after the flood.
At the beginning of September, the first in a long line of major reparations to Alexus' basement was completed. The basement floor was replaced on Sept. 2, a new furnace was put in a few days later, and a hot water heater shortly after. This whole time, meanwhile, the homeowner was waiting to find out whether or not insurance would come through and cover the cost of reparations. The new floor alone, cost $18,000.
"There was still the hope that, 'OK, I can carry on for a couple more months, and hopefully make these payments and keep going,'" said Alexus.
Then, came the first blow. Alexus received a letter from her insurance provider, notifying her that the property damage would not be covered, as the flood was an act of nature; then, on Wednesday last week, came the straw that broke the camel's back - the City's insurance company contacted Alexus and told her it would be her responsibility to pay for the damages.
Alexus, who, ironically enough, works for the City, got the call while she was at work, and immediately broke down on the spot.
"She literally collapsed and I had to carry her out to my truck to get her home," said Wishart.
As things seem to continue getting worse for his girlfriend, Wishart is getting fed up.
"I'm mad as hell. She's getting screwed over by the City. I'm not mentioning names, but what has happened here is the City's responsibility," he said.
Wishart said he's been in contact with the mayor, Gary St. Onge, on multiple occasions and recently met with a city councillor, who he doesn't want named.
"Cheryl's a good person. She shouldn't have to go through all of this. It's not right. Why should she have to pay out a dime? She should be compensated," said an emotional Wishart.
Neither St. Onge nor city manager Jim Puffalt agreed to discuss with The Mercury where the situation is at currently, nor the circumstances that led to the flood, however St. Onge maintained that it is not the City's fault.
"All we've received from our insurance company is that we are not liable. So, now whether it goes to a lawsuit, or where it goes, I'm not sure. But, council has not directly been approached by her, in terms of a meeting to see if we would look at it some other way. We've suggested that's a possibility. They have that alternative," he said.
At this point, Alexus has no plans to pursue legal action. The cost of launching a lawsuit against the City, which she's looked into, would likely cost $20,000 - something she cannot afford on top of the financial blow she has already taken.
If she should decide to file a lawsuit, however, Janice Harris - the vacuum truck dispatcher - is on her side, and has a certain amount of evidence to back up the case. According to Harris, when the call came in to have the truck dispatched to Alexus' house, the City worker - who Alexus and Wishart wish be left unnamed, as well - actually admitted that it was a poor decision to have left a gaping hole in the yard.
"If you're looking for the part where (the City worker) admitted it was the City's fault, yeah, (they) said that too," said Harris. "They said they should have never left it open and they learned their lesson and would never do it again."
At the end of the day, Alexus wishes no ill will against the City worker who made the call and refused to call in a loader on that fateful day.
"I just want to be able to live in my own house," she said. "I don't really care why the decision was made, or where the decision was made, I just want to be able to afford to live in my own house and not go bankrupt.
Today, saddled with $40,000 in damages and on stress leave from work, Alexus admitted she will continue to be strong, always trying to keep hope and a sense of humour about the situation, despite continued disappointment.
"I just don't understand how this can happen to somebody. Why should I have to go through all of the stress and have to pay for all of this, when all I was trying to do was be proactive and have new sewer lines put in? If I'd have chosen not to have that little chunk in the middle replaced, maybe this wouldn't have happened, but maybe down the road I would have had problems because I didn't replace that chunk."
