Local residents get emergency assistance in aftermath of watermain break

Thursday, March 7, 2019 ~ LANGFORD

~  West Shore Voice News

Some financial assistance is being made available to local residents due to flooding that caused evacuation and loss of property following a watermain break on a central Langford street on the evening of February 19.

A water service pipe below ground at Strathmore Road and Goldstream Avenue burst that evening around 8 pm, sending fountains of water sky-high and then streaming down Strathmore and onto Goldstream Avenue, right across from Langford City Hall.

Twelve homes and one commercial building with condos above were affected by the water impact. Homeowners and tenants — with or without insurance — may need some extra support of a one-time nature for immediate needs.

Some people — especially those with flooded basements and even more so if they were tenants in the basement — lost clothing, furniture and other necessities of life.

The City of Langford has recognized this need and is providing one-time payments of up to $1,000 to those in need. The support is being provided through the Emergency Social Services (ESS) that is available through Langford Fire Rescue.

There have been a number of applications for this support, according to the City.

“Our ESS and fire chief have started on the assistance program for the families affected by the flood and hopefully the financial assistance that Langford provides will help the families out a bit at least,” said Langford Mayor Stew Young this week. The fund is not intended for absentee homeowners or to pay for structural repairs.

The mayor thanks the CRD, city staff, volunteers, fire department, police, ESS team and area residents for their support in fixing the pipe and helping out through the night. “The support from the Langford community and council has been helpful to the families affected,” the mayor said today.

Following the watermain break, water was of course shut off until pipe repairs could be done. Water supply to homes and businesses on Strathmore was restored by end of the day Wednesday, February 20.

The old distribution pipe that burst was 8-inch asbestos cement. The new distribution pipe is 8-inch PVC.

About 30 personnel were on site during the evening incident including Langford Fire Rescue, Westshore RCMP, Langford engineering, and CRD water repair crews.

Renters experiencing hardship because of the flooding can apply for one-time funding by writing to Braden Hutchins at administration@langford.ca or by calling city hall at 250-478-7882.

 

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