Power and water have been partially restored at a McEwen Avenue apartment complex nearly a week after a record-breaking Canada Day storm left the building flooded and destroyed its electrical system. Water continues to be pumped out of the Park West apartment complex after power was cut to all 25 stories and forcing some residents to find temporary accommodations after the city recommended, and offered, relocation. Resident Carmen Contreras is staying with her daughter but returns daily to check on her apartment. She says power and water were partially restored Monday evening, but the building is operating on generators with intermittent elevator service and no air conditioning. “I live on the 11th floor and I have learned how to climb 11 floors without giving myself a heart attack,” said Contreras. “I came over early this morning and my computer was working and my internet too. I had left my fridge open to prevent smells and it was running, so I closed it.” Contreras says she plans to stay with her daughter for now and believes residents should be patient as the building works through the repairs. “I think it’s important not to overwhelm the building at this point,” she said. “It’s better not to overstretch the electrical grid and all of that. In situations like this, I think we have to be very open minded and understand that we are all dealing with something.” Hydro Ottawa says flooding significantly damaged the building’s electrical vault, which requires a full rebuild. The utility notes that while it owns the transformer, the electrical vault and related equipment inside the building belong to the property owner. “Because restoring power involves equipment owned by both parties, close coordination is essential,” Hydro Ottawa said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa. “To ensure we are not a bottleneck, Hydro Ottawa has already presented flexible replacement options to the buildings team. We stand ready to advance our part of the work the moment they are prepared to proceed - whether that be a temporary solution or moving directly to permanent restoration - as soon as the site is ready.” The city has urged residents to leave, and while there are no firm numbers on how many people chose to remain, the city helped around 80 people with temporary housing. Across the city, more than 4,000 homes have been reported flooded and as cleanup continues, some question if the city’s infrastructure is able to keep up during extreme weather events. “Myself, along with other councillors whose wards were affected by flooding, we certainly want to see a review,” said Bay Ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh, whose home was also impacted, flooding with nearly a metre of raw sewage. “This was a very severe, unique situation, however, it could happen again and we know this because of climate change. And we have to do something to prepare and on many levels.” Resident Theresa Ribeiro says her son lives in the building and is now focused on clearing out his flooded storage locker in the apartment’s basement. “Given the sewage was up to the ceiling, it all is a write-off,” said Ribeiro, noting it may take some time given the number of residents who have yet to return. “On my floor, I can see that most of the units are in fact, still vacant. Paramedics and firefighters have been coming through the building to make sure everyone is okay and have marked empty apartments with an X on the door.” CTV News Ottawa reached out multiple times to Saikley Properties, which manages the Park West apartment complex, but has not received a response.
