Steinbach receives two months of rain over a few hours

A late summer storm brought heavy rain to Steinbach Thursday night. CTV’s Daniel Halmarson has the story.

Residents of Steinbach are cleaning up damage after a storm passed through Thursday night, leaving about two months worth of rain in less than four hours.

Upwards of 135 millimetres of rain hit the city southeast of Winnipeg and the surrounding area, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Tammy Schroeder is a resident of the adjacent Rural Municipality of Hanover. She was driving into the city with her roommate during the storm.

“It was like your shower coming on you,” Schroder described the night.

“When we were driving, you couldn’t see anything. You’re going through puddles and it’s like waves coming over your car. We were stopping and flagging people with cars to turn around, because they were backing up one after the other.”

The City of Steinbach said the sewer system did its best to keep up with the pouring, but the amount of water was too much – causing flooding throughout the city. The Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue’s basement was not an exception.

“When we started the pumps this morning and opened (the basement) window, you could see the water right at the window. That’s seven feet,” Graham Pollock, vice president of the organization said.

He added all 22 cats in their care were safe since they were on the main floor and they were transported to fosters. However, the damage to the basement brings extenuating financial hardships, like paying $25,000 insurance deductible, and urgent need to re-stock food, litter, bedding, and other supplies. Pollock said the rescue will be closed until further notice.

Michelle Sawatzky-Koop is the communications director for the Southeast Event Centre, and their T.G. Smith Arena will be closed for two weeks due to the flooding. The closure will cancel several hockey games and practices.

“I was told about eight inches of water was waiting outside the door, about four inches everywhere on the ice surface through the dressing rooms,” Sawatzky-Koop said.

City of Steinbach officials are investigating if this storm qualifies for the province’s Disaster Financial Assistance program. Impacted residents are asked to photograph any damage, keep detailed records of any repairs made, and contact their insurance providers to check if the damages are covered.