Downpour a mixed business blessing
Carla Wilson Times Colonist Friday, October 17, 2003
Darren Stone, Times Colonist / Mike Sjouwerman repairs a roof near Tillicum Mall on Thursday.
Oh no, don't let the rain come down
My roof's got a hole in it and I might drown
Oh yes, my roof's got a hole in it and I might drown -- song made popular by the Serendipity Singers.
Desperate callers beg. They plead. They put out buckets and towels. Anything to keep their homes dry inside as rain pounds relentlessly on their roofs while they wait for help.
At Parker, Johnston Ltd., 60 emergency calls came in Thursday morning alone. A staff of 15 fanned out through the region patching roof leaks.
"We are swamped -- literally," said company co-owner Rod Parker.
When rain pours down, business picks up for some companies but causes problems too. It may mean firms postpone planned jobs or are overloaded with emergency calls.
After a record-setting dry spell in this region, we are now wading through a record-setting wet patch.
We've just had the driest summer in more than 60 years when just 19.5 millimetres of rain fell through June, July and August.
But now wet weather has arrived at B.C.'s southern coast.
Many businesses and residents are scrambling to cope with leaking roofs and soggy basements. A frontal system that has settled in over southern Vancouver Island will likely keep dumping rain on us until Saturday.
After that, we could get a break through Sunday but another system seems ready to step in, said Anne McCarthy, Environment Canada weather specialist.
"It's a bit like having someone point a fire hose at you," she said Thursday. "My personal advice is you'd better shake out those wellies and get the spiders out now."
The record rainfall for Oct. 16 was 37.3 millimetres, set in 1975. That was broken by Thursday morning. At the weather office at the Victoria International Airport, a total of 51 millimetres of rain fell between 11 p.m. (when measurements start being taken) on Wednesday to 11 a.m. on Thursday, McCarthy said.
Today's forecast is for 35 to 45 millimetres of rain, with foggy patches.
Tarpaulins, special sealers, and mortar and concrete are all being used for quick fixes on roofs, said Parker. After a hot summer, the first major rainstorm of the fall brings panicky calls with reports of leaks. "Every year, it's the same thing."
Some cedar roofs, installed during a building boom 18 to 20 years ago, are starting to leak, Parker said. Also calling are some commercial building owners who put off repairs on flat roofs.
It's a good idea to have your roof checked earlier in the year and any repairs carried out at that time as part of a preventative maintenance program, he said.
Over at Mr. Rooter Plumbing the rain is welcome, "We love this stuff," laughs owner Jody Auchinvole.
Phone lines are busy and business is brisk with calls for help clearing out drains, many in driveways, and flooded basements, she said.
Homeowners should get their perimeter, driveway and any other exterior drains checked and cleaned if necessary during drier weather, Auchinvole said.
Pumps are in demand at Lo-Cost Rentals for customers trying to clear out wet basements, parking lots and flat roofs, said service technician Catherine Shannon. Dehumidifiers and turbo blower-dryers are also being snapped up.
Rubber boots are running out the door at Wal-Mart's Douglas Street store, where rain jackets and umbrellas are also moving quickly.
Rain always brings in customers, said store assistant manager Scott Downton. "People want something to do so they go to local malls or shops." He thinks people are coming in to shop for Halloween or do early Christmas shopping.
And rain gear, tarps and ponchos, are among items being snapped up at Langford's Canadian Tire store, said manager Michael Armstrong.
At Green Acres Gardening, owner Ryan Aitchison had a tiring day Thursday hoisting 20-kilogram rolls of sod. His company has a commitment to install sod outside two houses and the rain made the base slippery.
Peninsula Bulldozing is used to coping with this kind of weather in November, not mid-October, said spokesman Ralph Street. One job was shut down and topsoil sales are down but the company carried on using all its workers, he said.
© Copyright 2003 Times Colonist (Victoria)
Don't get me wrong, we need the rain something fierce, but there is rain and then there is RAIN. It's flooded out two roads in the region, one in Malahat AOR, and the other in Sooke. 50 residents from Sooke were evacuated last night for the rain. Aspen Rd in the Malahat area partially washed out last night, and the residents in that section are currently "stranded" and even walking is apparently not much of an option because of the overflowing creek.
Carla Wilson Times Colonist Friday, October 17, 2003
Darren Stone, Times Colonist / Mike Sjouwerman repairs a roof near Tillicum Mall on Thursday.
Oh no, don't let the rain come down
My roof's got a hole in it and I might drown
Oh yes, my roof's got a hole in it and I might drown -- song made popular by the Serendipity Singers.
Desperate callers beg. They plead. They put out buckets and towels. Anything to keep their homes dry inside as rain pounds relentlessly on their roofs while they wait for help.
At Parker, Johnston Ltd., 60 emergency calls came in Thursday morning alone. A staff of 15 fanned out through the region patching roof leaks.
"We are swamped -- literally," said company co-owner Rod Parker.
When rain pours down, business picks up for some companies but causes problems too. It may mean firms postpone planned jobs or are overloaded with emergency calls.
After a record-setting dry spell in this region, we are now wading through a record-setting wet patch.
We've just had the driest summer in more than 60 years when just 19.5 millimetres of rain fell through June, July and August.
But now wet weather has arrived at B.C.'s southern coast.
Many businesses and residents are scrambling to cope with leaking roofs and soggy basements. A frontal system that has settled in over southern Vancouver Island will likely keep dumping rain on us until Saturday.
After that, we could get a break through Sunday but another system seems ready to step in, said Anne McCarthy, Environment Canada weather specialist.
"It's a bit like having someone point a fire hose at you," she said Thursday. "My personal advice is you'd better shake out those wellies and get the spiders out now."
The record rainfall for Oct. 16 was 37.3 millimetres, set in 1975. That was broken by Thursday morning. At the weather office at the Victoria International Airport, a total of 51 millimetres of rain fell between 11 p.m. (when measurements start being taken) on Wednesday to 11 a.m. on Thursday, McCarthy said.
Today's forecast is for 35 to 45 millimetres of rain, with foggy patches.
Tarpaulins, special sealers, and mortar and concrete are all being used for quick fixes on roofs, said Parker. After a hot summer, the first major rainstorm of the fall brings panicky calls with reports of leaks. "Every year, it's the same thing."
Some cedar roofs, installed during a building boom 18 to 20 years ago, are starting to leak, Parker said. Also calling are some commercial building owners who put off repairs on flat roofs.
It's a good idea to have your roof checked earlier in the year and any repairs carried out at that time as part of a preventative maintenance program, he said.
Over at Mr. Rooter Plumbing the rain is welcome, "We love this stuff," laughs owner Jody Auchinvole.
Phone lines are busy and business is brisk with calls for help clearing out drains, many in driveways, and flooded basements, she said.
Homeowners should get their perimeter, driveway and any other exterior drains checked and cleaned if necessary during drier weather, Auchinvole said.
Pumps are in demand at Lo-Cost Rentals for customers trying to clear out wet basements, parking lots and flat roofs, said service technician Catherine Shannon. Dehumidifiers and turbo blower-dryers are also being snapped up.
Rubber boots are running out the door at Wal-Mart's Douglas Street store, where rain jackets and umbrellas are also moving quickly.
Rain always brings in customers, said store assistant manager Scott Downton. "People want something to do so they go to local malls or shops." He thinks people are coming in to shop for Halloween or do early Christmas shopping.
And rain gear, tarps and ponchos, are among items being snapped up at Langford's Canadian Tire store, said manager Michael Armstrong.
At Green Acres Gardening, owner Ryan Aitchison had a tiring day Thursday hoisting 20-kilogram rolls of sod. His company has a commitment to install sod outside two houses and the rain made the base slippery.
Peninsula Bulldozing is used to coping with this kind of weather in November, not mid-October, said spokesman Ralph Street. One job was shut down and topsoil sales are down but the company carried on using all its workers, he said.
© Copyright 2003 Times Colonist (Victoria)
Don't get me wrong, we need the rain something fierce, but there is rain and then there is RAIN. It's flooded out two roads in the region, one in Malahat AOR, and the other in Sooke. 50 residents from Sooke were evacuated last night for the rain. Aspen Rd in the Malahat area partially washed out last night, and the residents in that section are currently "stranded" and even walking is apparently not much of an option because of the overflowing creek.
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