Rainy summer leads to flooded basements across Yellowknife

Three Shop-Vacs have been running non-stop in Paul Andrew's flooded Yellowknife basement for the last two weeks.

They have to be emptied every hour, even in the middle of the night.

"We couldn't keep up with the water," Andrew said."It's just coming in so fast."

He saidit started when a City of Yellowknife water main broke outside of his downtown home.

Then the rain came.

The city has seen 114millimetresof precipitation so far this June, more than the average for the entire summer.

What looks like a small trickle of water seeping in through the floor has caused a big headache. Andrew's basement carpet and drywall are destroyed.

"After a couple of days you say:'Maybe the rain is needed. The forest fires might subside. Maybe the animals and plants need it,'" he said.

"After a week you say, 'Enough'. After two weeks you say, 'No more!'"

It's supposed to be summer. Sun should be shining. This is an odd thing.- Patrick Rauch

Andrew isn't the only one struggling with the wet summer.

Yellowknife company Northern Disaster Services deals with emergency restorations. Co-owner PatrickRauchsays it's the busiest June they've ever had and, with almost a dozen flooded basements across the city, they're swamped.

"I've been here for 10 years and I haven't seen rains like this. It's supposed to be summer. Sun should be shining. This is anodd thing," he said.

The company lent Andrew the Shop-Vacsand hasbeen trying to get to the leak.

Andrew says he doesn't know how much damage has been done or how much it will cost to fix.

• Rain, rain, go away: Monday downpours turn Yellowknife's Franklin Avenue into a swamp

• Get out the rainboots: Waterlogged Yellowknife has one of the wettest June days in its history

But he's trying look on the bright side.

"The only thing that keeps me going is there's floods in other parts of Canada, there's fires going," he said. "People are worse off than I am. That's what keeps me going. And of course some wonderful friends who have come to the rescue."