Flood concerns

It looks like we’ll be seeing a little bit of everything over the next few days; rain, snow and temperatures close 10 degrees, which means possible flooding. City of Hamilton crews are busy trying to clear as many sewer drains as they can, there are 45 000 in the city.

“The rainfall on Friday is the most concerning, with the temperature dropping so fast, the rain won’t have time to wash away, so we’ll have flash freezing across the city.” Dan McKinnon, City of Hamilton.

Keeping your basement dry could be a challenge over the next few days as well. The director of the home flood protection program has a few tips for home owners.

“If your down spouts are depositing water right at your house, it’ll enable water to come in. Extend your down spouts out to between three and six feet to get the water away.”

One of the main things you can do to prevent your basement from flooding, is to shovel out the snow from around your house. Also clean out the storm drain on your street and create a path for the water to flow so it doesn’t wind up in your home. Flood experts say just to be safe bring your most cherished items upstairs.