This is a message to the hundreds of people who live in Birch Cliff and beyond whose basements flooded on July 15, 2012.
Flooded basement on Kalmar Avenue
For many people who live in our neighbourhood, this is the biggest news story in recent memory:
- The torrential rain came as a shock.
- People were horrified as their basements filled with water and raw sewage.
- The nasty cleanup began and people started throwing away treasured belongings, disposing of furniture and ripping out floors and drywall.
- Financial and insurance issues began to emerge as residents started deal with adjusters and the claims process. Some people were not insured and others can’t make claims because they can’t pay the deductible.
- Hundreds of families are now staring at empty basements that need rebuilding and coping with family life on the upper floors.
Where do we go from here?
Birch Cliff News has covered all of these stories and we’re looking for your guidance on what to write about next. We’d like to base our stories on your concerns.
What have we missed? What are your biggest challenges right now? What are your issues with the city of Toronto?
If you’ve got an idea, please scroll down and leave a commment. If you want to respond confidentially, click on the green button.
The complete list of stories we’ve covered so far is below:
Severe storm floods Birch Cliff
There’s an interesting discussion about this post on the Facebook site that was set up after the flood: Flood July 15 2012
One important theme seems to be that people want to know what the city has done (if anything) to fix the problem. This is especially important given that so many people are about to start rebuilding. I’ve talked to Toronto Water and it seems their official report won’t be out until at least September. In the meantime, perhaps we do a story about homeowners seeking reassurance it won’t happen again? If the city has been to your house to scope the drains or look at the sewers, can you please contact us? Thanks.