Floods dampen local businesses

Rising flood waters did more than dampen home basements, they also hampered business across town—causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.
Abitibi-Consolidated was able to keep running through a power outage that affected the whole district for almost about half-an-hour Monday afternoon.
“The power outage did not affect the mill because we generate our own power,” noted general manager Jim Gartshore.
But while the mill didn’t shut down, it did have a few glitches during the storm that led to a power bump Monday caused by lightning.
Like much of the rest of our region, the mill’s biggest concern was water.
“Sunday night, we lost six hours on #6 paper machine and #7 paper machine,” Gartshore said yesterday.
The machines were shut down because the mill had to treat all the water that fell on the mill and was seeping inside the building before they could release it.
“We had so much water, and it is our policy that all mill water must be treated before it is released and we just overloaded our system,” Gartshore explained.
Because their treatment was full, the mill couldn’t use any more water with the machines so they were shut down.
“There were also quite a few people who can’t make it into work or are taking care of their homes today,” he added.
Meanwhile, businesses in Fort Frances, particularly around the industrial park, were trying to cope with rising water levels.
Revco Carpet and other stores near the intersection of McIrvine Road and Fifth Street West appeared more like islands than storefronts.
“It was coming like a river,” said Cyndy Petsnick of Revco Carpet. “It totally surrounded us. It was coming too fast.
“The water was very high and we were quite concerned it would come in the big door,” she added.
The Fort Frances Fire Department tried using pumps to spray water from around stores to the empty field on the other side of Fifth Street West, but the water was rising faster than they could handle and a trench across the road had to be built to save the buildings.
Petsnick said their new loading bay, which was just put in, was covered in water and definitely damaged, but admitted it could have been worse.
“Had it come through those doors, it would have been devastating to us. All our [carpet] rolls are on the floors and you can’t just put them up on something.”
Next door, Ernest Thompson Distributors was not faring as well. They had to close Monday after water began seeping into the building.
“We had six inches of water and nowhere for it to go. There was a whole lot of water and when the door opened, the water came in. It was quite a mess,” Lois Thompson noted while a precocious child happily splashed in giant puddles inside the building.
Fortunately, part of the warehouse housing the freezers wasn’t submerged, but still Thompson couldn’t even begin to estimate how much damage the flooding caused.
Tammi’s Flower Garden on Scott Street also shut down early Monday to cope with water woes.
“We were fairly lucky,” store owner Tammi Shoemaker said yesterday, noting the water was contained to the basement of her store, which is both a showroom and work area for staff doing up flower arrangements.
“There was water from by back door to my front door,” she remarked.
Shoemaker said staff had to get flowers and other products off the floor to prevent damage. “I didn’t know what to expect when I came in this morning,” she admitted.
Even with precautions, Shoemaker said there definitely was damage to the walls and carpet of the area.
But the rising water wasn’t all bad news for local businesses. Canadian Tire here and Tompkins Hardware in Emo both reported selling out of sump pumps and shop vacs, and other tools used to clean up after the storms.
“I think we did an extra 30 percent yesterday in sales,” said Canadian Tire manager Kevin Thiessen.
That boost didn’t come without a price, though. A drain in the Canadian Tire roof clogged and with the extensive rainfall, the store experienced some leaks, especially over the housewares department.
“Damage to products in the housewares department was about $1,000,” Thiessen noted.