By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

The heavy rain produced by tropical storm Debbie caused flash flooding in multiple pockets of Pointe-Claire causing significant damage to homes. One of the areas particularly affected was Cragmore Street, bordered by Braebrook Avenue and Concord Crescent.

At the height of the rainfall, the entire street resembled a river overflowing the curbs onto front lawns with the bulk of the flow building up on Braebrook. The drainage capacity of the sewage system appeared to be completely overwhelmed on these streets. It took over an hour for the water levels to subside following the second wave of the storm. Water infiltrated most of the houses and caused entire basements to be flooded by 12 inches of water or more, according to residents.

Residents spent the next 24-48 hours pumping, drying, tearing out walls and floors while sifting through cherished belongings. Some homes are still without amenities such as A/C and hot water, four weeks after the flood.

The street view for two weeks following the August 9 storm showed huge piles of damaged debris that home owners had to remove to prevent mold and mildew. Depending on their economic situations, some home owners were helped by hired demolition crews while others had to do the job themselves. Many reported feeling poorly and attribute that to the humidity and mold, while others simply wore themselves out responding urgently, with a 36-hour time frame to the damages caused to their homes.

Most insurance policies usually specify or limit claims for outside water infiltration because of the low probability of such events occurring in areas outside of known flood zones. As a result, many people were under-insured for this type of claim.

Many residents have expressed thanks and appreciation to the City of Pointe-Claire’s volunteer rescue team who assisted residents in pumping out some basements overnight after the storm subsided. Residents also expressed their appreciation for the City’s prompt organization in arranging regular pickups of the debris over the last few weeks.

A group of residents living on and near Cragmore street banded together to create e-mail chains with City officials to keep themselves up to date and on the same page with the ongoing assessments as well as the future remedial work plans.

Mayor Thomas has acknowledged that Cragmore/Braebrook and Glanlynn/Terra Cotta streets were two areas in Pointe-Claire that were the worst hit . The mayor and Pointe-Claire council members have promised residents that the flooding will be assessed in the next few weeks and the findings will be disclosed . Residents are also calling for a town hall meeting where everyone affected can attend to understand firsthand the issues and the city’s plans going forward.

According to Pointe-Claire City Councillor Eric Stork there is also a possibility that the Cragmore/Braebrook intersection itself may have some underlying stability issues.

At this time, many think that because the water took so long to subside, the capacity of the older sewers in this area may be inadequate. Other streets around the area, some of which had infrastructure updates, did not suffer the same degree of flooding. The City’s assessment due near the end of September should clarify the issues that need addressing .

“I am very anxious to review the City’s assessment and the proposed repair plan and schedule. I certainly hope that they are allocating the highest priority to this disaster . This can occur again . Climate change is evolving the weather patterns. We need to see some action before round two,” one resident said to The Suburban. n