Neighbours lend helping hands during Saskatoon flash flood

What started out as lunch with a friend turned into a chaotic afternoon for Sam Krahn.

When she left her house on Louise Avenue on Monday, Krahn only expected around two millimetres of rain would fall.

She would soon find out it was going to be much more than that.

According to Environment Canada, parts of the city were hit with between 45 and 75 millimetres of rain in the space of only an hour, leading to localized flash floods. As the sudden rainstorm caused water to pool at underpasses and low-lying areas, Krahn said she had to take multiple detours just to get home.

“That was not a rainfall I was expecting,” Krahn said. “Louise and Taylor was flooded, so I thought, ‘OK, I’ll just keep going.’ I came around Preston and up Louise Avenue, and could see the street was already full of water.”

When Krahn got into her house, she said she noticed the water was pouring off the back of her house and decided to begin clearing out her eaves.

Water is pouring in my basement window and fireplace and Louise Avenue is flooded. Please avoid. There are already three cars submerged. #yxestorm #yxe @CBCSaskatoon @GlobalSaskatoon @ctvsaskatoon @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/sNFO4tr9af

— Samantha Krahn (@SamanthaKrahn) June 20, 2022

But before she began working, she thought to give her basement a look. That’s when she discovered water pouring in through a window.

Krahn said she began to clear out her gutters, which helped direct some water away from the house, but it wasn’t the only problem she encountered.

“I noticed there was water coming in from my fireplace,” Krahn said.

She and her husband were only able to set some towels down and had to wait out the rain, she said. They also got a helping hand from their neighbours.

“Our neighbours were doing the same thing, cleaning out their eavestroughs, so they actually gave me their tool to clean ours,” she said. “So that was a big help.”

Everybody in the community was helping each other out, she said, with neighbours helping neighbours.

“They were directing traffic away from the street, because I think there were probably four cars that already tried to get through and got stuck,” Krahn said.

“I appreciate my neighbours’ help, and the people who were just willing to come out and get people out of their cars or help other people avoid a similar fate.”

Krahn says she’s going to have a professional inspect the damage to her home, and can’t yet put a dollar figure on how much restoration will cost.

She said she’ll look at all of her insurance options and whether they will apply before she starts any repairs.