Damage from water main break

Some homes in east Hamilton are just getting the heat back on after their furnaces were destroyed by flooding. The city says about 30 homes in the area were flooded last Friday when the water main broke.

Claudia McPhail was in her living room last Friday at noon when she heard strange noises.

“I looked outside and it was fresh snow and the whole street was brown.” Downstairs, she realized the sound was water spouting up from the toilet.

Next door, Josie Cooke says she went home Friday to find she couldn’t get on her street. She carried her dog through the freezing, knee-deep water so she could turn off her furnace. Her basement, a fully finished part of the home, was submerged.

“It’s days before Christmas, days before my daughter’s birthday, it’s not what I was hoping for”

Sam Merulla is the ward councillor for this area, he says that on Monday he helped pass a resolution at city hall so that homeowners who are affected by watermain breaks get the same rebate as homeowners affected by sewage backups. He also said the infrastructure here is new, that the watermain didn’t break because it was faulty, but because of the extreme fluctuation in weather temperature that day.

The city says extreme weather can cause the ground to swell and contract and any weak pipe can break under the excessive pressure. The city says this is not a common problem in east Hamilton.