Water main break on Kenaston Boulevard costs man $20K in damages

A Winnipeg man is facing thousands of dollars in flood damage caused bya water main break on Kenaston Boulevard in Winnipeg this week.

Alex Meron Gamili's home is one of three houses on his streetaffected by abroken main near a fire hydrant onKenastonBoulevard nearCorydonAvenue.

MeronGamili said his house had the worst flooding.

"You can see all the walls, all the carpets, everything [is] wet," he said, stepping through the puddles on his basement floor

The flooding soaked everything from the drywall and carpet to clothing in storage, he said. It also broke his water heater, leaving the family without hot water.

When CBC visited his home Monday evening, water was pouring froma window, down his walls and onto the basement floor.

MeronGamili estimates the cost of repairs to be around $20,000 and said he did not have home insurance.

In an email to CBC, a spokesperson for the city of Winnipeg saidMeronGamili and his neighbours can make claims for the damage through 311.

Meron Gamili said he's made multiple calls to 311 for help, and he'sunhappy with the city's response.

"They [were] pretty rude, and just give us another number and another number and another reference number," he said.

A spokesperson for the City of Winnipeg confirmed a water main broke Sunday morning in the 300 block of KenastonBoulevard.

"City crews attended the site and isolated the leak by 7 a.m. [Sunday]," the spokesperson wrote in an email.

MeronGamili said crews were still working on the water main Monday evening and water continuedto trickle into his basement as of Tuesday morning.

According to the city website, the city isn't liable for loss or damage from water main breaks unless the breakwas the result of city negligence.

On Tuesday evening, a city spokesperson said crews were still working to repair the leak and couldn't offer a timeline or cause. He said a water tank had been made available for residents without water.

The spokesperson said homeowners who want to submit a claim mustshow why they believe the city is responsible and provide documentation of their loss with photos, repair quotes, invoices or other supporting information.

Flooded basements after water main break on Kenaston

6 years ago

Duration 1:51

Alex Meron Gamili's home is one of three houses on his street affected by a broken main near a fire hydrant on Kenaston Blvd. near Corydon Ave.