Home repairs underway in Waterloo Region following days of heavy rain

Home repair companies have a busy few days ahead of them as they clean up the damage left behind by several days of heavy rain.

The Crack Specialists, a foundation repair company based in St. Jacobs, said they’ve being inundated with service calls.

“Our phones are absolutely ringing off the hook non-stop, all day, every day, during the night, weekends – it’s endless,” owner Wesley Rose explained Wednesday.

Rose said the majority of those calls are for flooded basements, which is somewhat rare for this time of year.

“August and September are usually the worst. We’re seeing this in July, so I’m a little nervous for what’s going to happen in August.”

Rose said the main problems he’s hearing about are hydrostatic pressure, clogged eaves troughs and downspouts, sump pump failures and storage around window wells.

“A lot of people don’t understand that window wells can’t have debris in them. They’re not storage facilities,” he explained. “And sump pumps – I always say to people: ‘When you set your clocks back or forward twice a year, check your sump pump, test it [to] see if it’s working.”

Those issues can lead to major damage down the road and can be costly to repair.

Anthea McFarland, the vice president of personal insurance at Hub International, said when there’s significant flooding, the first thing a homeowner or tenant should think about is their safety.

“Do not enter where the water is,” she explained. “You just don’t know if there’s electrical wires, you don’t know what’s down there.”

Homeowners should then take preventative measures to avoid further damage.

“If you can start to clear the water and it is safe, we highly recommend you do so. If not, leave it until the restoration company can get to your location,” she said. “Due to the amount of claims, the wait times have increased, but they’re still very reasonable.”

The next call, she added, should be to your insurance broker or your insurance company’s emergency line.

McFarland also recommends property owners familiarize themselves with what is covered in their insurance policy and what’s not.

“What we see with clientele is realizing that there could be limits on their policy when it comes to water and flood coverage and they’re not aware of it,” she said. “Our job is to make sure that we present all of the options and advocate for clients too. If something is denied, is it really denied? We need to really look at the [small print] on the policy and ensure that we’re at the table for the client.”