Dauphin residents still getting sense of damage

WINNIPEG — Three days after floodwater swamped David McRae’s bachelor apartment, forcing him and his neighbours to seek shelter at the neighbouring fire hall, the Dauphin resident said he and many others are just beginning to take stock of the damage.

“Water started coming in from the door, the baseboard heaters — even through the floor,” McRae, 23, said.

“I didn’t know if I was going to have a place to actually come back to. For me, this was terrifying. I am still kind of shaking at this point.”

By Friday, much of the water had receded from Dauphin streets and sidewalks. McRae and his neighbours at the single-storey apartment block on 2nd Street NW were among hundreds of people drying out their homes and belongings after 119 mm of rain fell on the Parkland city from Sunday to Tuesday.

“I didn’t lose a lot, but to be honest I didn’t have a lot to begin with,” McRae said. “The majority of us who live in these apartments are low income. We didn’t have insurance because we’re just working from paycheque to paycheque. It’s tough for a lot of us right now.”

Dauphin Mayor David Bosiak said about 1,000 homes had some sort of water infiltration, whether it was from a sewer backup, overland flooding or seepage.

He said neighbours and strangers were pitching in to help fellow residents clean up their basements as well as buildings that had been damaged.

“Everybody I talked to yesterday and today indicated it could be worse,” Bosiak said. “There are other places that are suffering more than we are. As difficult and challenging as this is, nobody got hurt that we know of, and it’s just a matter of cleaning up.”

The City of Dauphin will likely remain in a state of local emergency for at least a week.

“We’re still dealing with auxiliary pumps helping with the sewer system,” Bosiak said. The city asked residents to reduce their water use.

Bosiak is concerned it could be some time before the local hospital is fully operational. “It has major damage in the basement to the power system,” he said.

Paul Croft, 62, said his brother in-law is one of 54 patients who were moved out of the hospital. He receives dialysis treatments three times per week. The treatments will continue at other hospitals in the region. Croft drove the 74-year-old man to Russell on Thursday, where he will remain until at least Sunday when health officials will reassess his treatment plan.

“I think the community as a whole have rallied and come together in an unprecedented situation that nobody could have anticipated,” Croft said. “I have seen more damage and more flooding than I’ve ever seen in my life.”

He said health officials responded in a quick and effective manner despite widespread devastation of homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure throughout the region.

“I think everybody understands the seriousness of the situation and is extremely accommodating.”

Barret Procyshyn, co-owner of Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy, said his staff have continued to work throughout the week, despite their own homes being damaged. Delivery drivers skirted flooded-out areas to ensure prescriptions were available.

On Thursday, Procyshyn worked alongside provincial officials to co-ordinate helicopter deliveries of insulin, inhalers and other critical medication to people stranded in the Duck Mountain area. Meanwhile, boats and amphibious utility task vehicles made similar deliveries to rural communities such as Camperville, he said.

“I think some people forget that a pharmacy team is a first-line health-care provider just like a doctor, nurse or ambulance driver. We are there, we have to be open, we have to deliver prescriptions because this is a rural area,” Procyshyn said.

“My team has just been awesome, and I know every pharmacy from Dauphin to Swan River is doing the same.”

Dauphin contractor Bradley Brink said his company will likely field calls from concerned homeowners for weeks.

“To try and explain the extent of the water that went through town is unreal. It was literally rivers going through the street, going right into people’s basements,” he said.

“I think, for the first day or two, people were just reeling a bit from the extent of damage that was done.”

Brink and his team of three staffers have been moving from home to home, tearing out flooring, drywall and furniture before mould has a chance to set in.

“It’s going to be years before everything is back to normal again, and that’s just looking at the homes, not necessarily looking at the infrastructure — roads, sidewalks, all of that stuff has been washed out.”

Environment Canada projects more rain for Dauphin, including the risk of thunderstorms on Saturday and showers continuing on Sunday, Monday and into next week.

Bosiak said he’s concerned for people who have properties at Lake Dauphin, which reached flood level Thursday and continued to rise.

He warned about scammers taking advantage of flood victims, saying his office has received reports of people making phone calls or going door-to-door while posing as insurance adjusters. The City of Dauphin issued a statement Friday, urging residents not to provide information to unsolicited callers or visitors.

“Unfortunately, that’s what happens in stuff like this. People want to take advantage of other people,” Bosiak said.

» Winnipeg Free Press, with files from Chris Kitching and Morgan Modjeski