A Waterloo, Ont. couple preparing to move into a new home in two weeks, is facing uncertainty after their current house was flooded during last week’s severe storm, leaving them with months-long repairs. Homeowner Dan Lauzon said water rushed down Twin Oaks Crescent during the Sept. 2 storm and overwhelmed the driveway. “The water coming down the road got so high, it just overflowed the end of the driveway,” Lauzon recalled. “Within a minute, we had five feet of water in the house.” Lauzon said he and his wife were outside at the time, trying to clear the nearby storm drains. “We were raking the leaves to make sure the drains stayed open,” he explained. Last week’s flood was the latest to hit the property. The couple had already experienced significant flooding in 2008 and again this past March. Lauzon said the repeated incidents have left them watching the weather closely and worrying whenever heavy rain is in the forecast. “Every time it rains, my wife and I are at the window concerned,” he said. “If it’s 3:00 in the morning, we are up. We can’t sleep through that.” The latest flooding comes as the couple prepares to move into another home on Sept. 21. Couple questions city’s response Lauzon is calling on the City of Waterloo to do more to address drainage and flooding concerns. “The storms are worse, though,” he said. “It’s just going to happen again unless they do something.” Lauzon said he and his wife met with city officials in April to discuss the flooding and concerns about leaves blocking storm drains. He said they presented the city with information about what had happened and expected action to prevent another flood, but that wasn’t the case. “Absolutely nothing. Not one phone call, not one email, no one coming over to look at this situation as to how they can stop this from happening again,” he said. City officials said steps were taken following that meeting. Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe said the couple raised concerns about the city’s leaf pickup program and the possibility that leaves left on the road could block drains, redirecting water toward the property. “Their concern was that sometimes leaves are left when the snow falls early... that leaves are left sometimes and covered the drain,” she said. McCabe added the city made clearing storm drains and catch basins in the area a priority. “We can confirm that the drains were clear in advance of that heavy, heavy storm that we just had.” McCabe said the property itself is also a factor. She described the home’s driveway as negatively sloped, meaning it directs water toward the property rather than away from it. “One of the main contributing factors here is this negatively sloped driveway... certainly not a design that the city would approve these days,” she said. McCabe also said the intensity of recent storms is creating new challenges for infrastructure. At one point, about 93 millimetres of rain had been collected, she said. “[On Sept. 2,] we had what’s called a one-in-100-year storm... no infrastructure can take that amount of rain in that short period of time and properly absorb it.” McCabe said the city’s stormwater network in the area meets provincial technical standards. “While certainly we sympathize with anyone who’s experienced anything like this, the city’s stormwater network at that location and certainly at other locations across the city, meets the technical standards required,” she explained. “At this point in time, I’m not aware that any engineering work or anything like that is required in that area. Certainly, in that area, that water and wastewater network is something that we keep a really close eye on.” Flooding creates insurance concerns Richard Zehr, president of Zehr Insurance Brokers in New Hamburg, said repeated water-damage claims can affect a homeowner’s ability to obtain coverage. “If you have repeated water damage claims, it significantly impacts your ability to purchase that type of insurance protection,” Zehr told CTV News. He said insurers can respond to repeated losses by reducing coverage, adding exclusions or, in some circumstances, declining to provide coverage. The couple also faces additional insurance considerations because the home will be vacant while repairs are underway. Zehr said vacant-home insurance can be more difficult and costly to obtain because water damage can go unnoticed for longer periods. “Those risks go up exponentially when you’re not home and monitoring a property. So, it’s going to be more expensive,” he said. Sale falls through as repairs begin The flooding has also complicated the couple’s plans to sell. The home had been set to be sold, but the potential buyer backed out following the latest flooding because the property could no longer be delivered in the same condition. Lauzon said he now expects the repairs to take several months. “It’s pure devastation,” he said. The financial impact is significant, with the couple facing mortgage and household costs while the property is repaired. “I have to take out an $800,000 mortgage at cost... with heat, hydro, electricity, water, I’m figuring it’s going to be about a $5,000 cost per month.” The latest flood also damaged the family’s vehicle, with water reaching the engine and entering the seats. The couple had hoped to move on from the property, but the latest flooding has left them questioning what the home will be worth and whether another buyer will be willing to take on its history. New home, lingering concerns Despite the damage, the couple is moving forward with plans to leave the property. They expect to move into their new home Sept. 21. But the couple moving does not end the worry. Lauzon said they will continue to watch severe weather and wonder whether the old home — and other properties in the area — could flood again. “My wife is devastated and she’s broken down in tears many times, and so am I right now because it’s just so frustrating.”
