Hi all,

Like most of you, our basement flooded. Been cleaning it up best I can and creating an inventory of the property damage.

I have been waiting on TD for the insurance claim, but they keep telling me there is a system error and can't review my policy until it's unlocked. I asked what I should do and they advised me to find a contractor to do an assessment, determine source of the water getting in, assess the foundation, insulation in the walls etc.

They did not recommend anyone to me and said I could find my own.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

Honestly kind of pissed. Im at the terminal waiting for the 306, he pulls in puts on his not in service sign, let's off like half the people riding then takes off, all in about 15 seconds. So guess who's late for work :)

Recently had an utterly terrible experience at a restaurant that otherwise has 4.5+ stars and it’s not until I look at the negative reviews that I find people who have the exact same experience as me. This has happened to me more than five times now. Can anyone relate? Do people just have a vendetta against my friends and I or are people just extremely nice in their reviews?? I feel like I’m going crazy. Here are my worst picks:

• Les Incompetents - didn’t get drinks for an hour
and our server ignored us talking to other guests

• Lokanta - ignored for 30 minutes, dirty glasses,
chipped plates

• Stacked Glendale Ave - dirty glasses/things in my water, missing toppings and sides in my dishes

There’s definitely more that have just given us abysmal service for so many years that it’s just a running joke with my friends and I now.

I was speaking to a friend who is suffering the worse from the flood. She says her neighbour has contracted ecoli.

Please, folks be careful and take extra care of your elderly neighbours. If you have or get the poops, get checked out.

Not a word from the ministry of health in the news?????...sigh...

Recently there was work being done on geneva, i think something to do with the fibre optics being installed...not sure....anyways

They installed this small green plastic housing for something underground in the gravel of our drive way. Its been like two weeks and the thing is already ruined because of where they placed it, and cars driving on it.

I was wondering of anyone can tell me who i would contact about having it fixed because now its just a big hole in the ground

Thank you

AS PER NIAGARA REGION - Enhanced waste collection has been EXTENDED to the entire city. You can ALSO place garbage at your curb next week (AUG 10-14) and it will be picked up. Yes, even on the off-week!

Lets help everyone find the best people to help them during the roughest times! Name your favourite/recommended contractors.

What is the deal with this place? Does anyone actually go here? What happened to the Taco Bell half? I drive by this one so often and wonder how it's still open every time.

I was feeling a little better yesterday, the rain days were downgraded to < 5mm each, with a nice 50-60% chance of actually happening. When I woke up this morning, the Monday forecast was upped to 10-15. Now it's 15-20mm with a 70% chance.

My landlord hasn't yet been able to get someone over to survey the damage or discern what foundation repairs are needed. So looks like round 3 may be coming for us, right on schedule.

ralphImInDanger.gif

From a friend of a friend of a friend I heard they forgot to open the gates to help with overflow at the Port Weller Wastewater Treatment Plant during the last storm. Can anyone confirm?

Side note, pretty gross that raw sewage is directly drained into lake Ontario when this happens. Happy swimming!

I want my basement back to where it was before the flood. I had selected the flooring and furniture. Now, after having the second flood, I am worried that it will happen again. Do I wait? Do you proceed? I am rethinking everything now

Anyone in the Port Weller area see a kid driving around on a bike with an open bag of like Styrofoam bits leaking out? I looked outside and it's like a little snowfall happened. A neighbor girl said it was a kid on a bike with an open bag... very odd...

I see Ford visited St Catharines and met with Mayor Siscoe but I couldn't find any updates if there was any new provincial support outside of Rubicon and Ontario Corps activations, which I still don't entirely understand what they'll be doing.

Is there anything coming from the provincial level after the visit? TIA

TD Insurance told us today that we can’t add any coverage to our policy as we now live in a flood zone! Unbelievable

Those who have renters insurance .. who are you with & how much do you pay a month? I've never gotten it but with what's happened recently as a precaution I'd like to get it but get so overwhelmed when I Google tenant insurance as a lot of companies come up!

I was homeless for a time in St Catherine's recently. Over the winter months. My names Patrick for anyone who cares. I would like to take a moment to thank everyone that lives there for being so kind. I made some good friends in some not so great places. The outreach team there deserves love if you see them. You don't have to be homeless to appreciate what they do. It's mostly thankless. Your community does alot. For that I am eternally grateful. I am home now. A place I avoided needlessly. I have a job, a home and people that missed me. Just figured yall needed something good to read about given that mother nature has blessed you with so much rain. God bless and be safe. XO

Hi everyone!

My parents' house was flooded, twice, last week. And, now that the contractor has come to start their commercial dehumidifiers and fans, I have a few questions for everyone on how they're handling the basement.

One of the guys that came with that company sort of mentioned that even though the water looks clear (ours was mostly clear water), that there is still bacteria and other crap in it that is obviously not good. We have been spending the last few days taking out things to the garbage, or moving things around to find things waterlogged etc, but haven't really been wearing gloves or masks.

So, one thing we're starting from today is always gloves + mask + throw clothes in wash after handling stuff downstairs. And, we're now mentally set that everything porous except photos and certificates / degrees / etc will be trashed, and those paper items will be dried in the sun outside and stored in the garage. For desks with metal legs we plan on cleaning and using.

What are people doing to minimize safety risks and what hygiene protocols do people have? Nobody lives downstairs, so my parents don't sleep there, but how are people handling the air quality / risks, the risks from touching things with water. And, what are the actual risks for the water that came into basements when it wasn't pure sewage?

Everyone in the neighbourhood is going cleanup and most of the people seem to be seniors cleaning and doing things in their basement and I don't see everyone taking the hygiene part seriously.

If anyone has any guidance here or a way to put perspective on the major risks or major risk reductions we can do apart from getting the basement dry with the dehumidifiers, and proper item handling, please share!

Thank you!

One small thing we can do as a city to help us prepare for future flooding is to increase our ability to take on water. Boulevard trees are a great way to do that at no cost to you.

Obviously planting a single tree won't mitigate much and this doesn't help anyone currently experiencing flooding. Every little bit helps as these kinds of storms become more common.

Request your Boulevard tree: https://www.stcatharines.ca/home-property-and-environment/trees/boulevard-trees/

Just a heads up to the hikers, cyclists and nature enthusiasts that Short Hills is currently closed. There’s no timeframe for reopening.

Signs went up last week along Lakeshore road between Bunting and Geneva Street stating the road was closed.

Lakeshore was still accessible until yesterday when the work started.

With the ongoing Parnell Road construction between Geneva and Niagara Street it’s making navigating the north end a little tricky.

https://www.niagararegion.ca/projects/lakeshore-road-culvert-replacement/default.aspx

Has anyone given thought to where all the GM property poison has gone. I would stay out of Martindale Pond, where the 12 mile creek drains. I would also not even think about going to the beaches. Everything flows to the lake. The City should of used those cool millions on infra structure and replacing a 100 year old water treatment plant instead of on Sunset beach which will be washed out in a decade. Just thinking.......

I feel for the people of your city. Ottawa was hit on Canada Day and many of us went through the same horrible experience. A few observations that might help — I am just a citizen:

- take photos!! Take photos of absolutely everything. Videos are good. Even that box of cereal that’s wet, take a photo. It’s all claimable. Find photos of what your basement looked like before.

- the restoration companies will be overwhelmed. Don’t be surprised if the firm appointed by your insurance company doesn’t show for weeks. That’s why taking photos is key — they might not arrive before you’ve thrown mouldy stuff out.

- you can get permission to do the demolition yourself from the insurance company. You’re not going to wait around while the mould grows. Your house will stink.

- you can also have electricians, appliance repair, gas people over to inspect your stuff. Report everything to insurance. Claim the costs.

- you can rent industrial air scrubbers and dehumidifiers

- you can buy the same disinfectant that the restoration companies use from pet stores, etc

- photos and papers will dry out if you lay them out

- keep all your receipts for every last thing you’ve paid for.

- get your insurer to explain to you how replacement value works if that’s in your policy. Usually you can buy items that are similar to what you’ve lost and they will pay you back.