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'Did you know fridges can float?' Guelph couple reeling after water main break floods apartment

Saturday's water main break has destroyed a Guelph families possessions after their apartment flooded
02 16 2022 Flood A
Tom and Christie Wilson take a pause from hauling out water-damaged items from their unlivable apartment.

The fridge in the Wilson’s apartment has been pushed across the room, everything below waist level is headed for the dumpster and they have days to move out of their long-time home after a flood caused by a water main break left the couple reeling.

On Saturday, a water main break on Bristol Road sent water cascading into the street and directly into the basement apartment rented by Christie and Tom Wilson at 134 Bristol St.

The area's downward sloping topography ushered the water directly into the apartment, with Tom Wilson, who stands six feet tall, saying everything up to his waist is ruined.

The apartment's ground floor window sits shattered from a collision with debris, and an odour of tainted water has permeated the apartment and all the family's belongings. 

“Where do you start? We’ve been standing here for hours going where do we start?” said Tom. “Yesterday morning when my dad and everybody was here you couldn't even get in the front door, so we just started grabbing stuff and putting it in the dumpster and the dumpster is already halfway full.”

Tom and Christie read that the water main break had been fixed and everything was back to normal, but the normal on the surface did not include them as they hope to salvage at least 10 per cent of their lives.

Despite the colossal damage to their lives, Tom, Christie, their kids Cassidy, 8, and Chase, 5, are okay. 

Having recently cancelled their renter's insurance to help make ends meet, the Wilson family is now relying on attempts to salvage anything the floodwaters have not contaminated and community members who have reached out with support.

Tom noted one neighbour, who doesn’t have much to spare, rolled up her dimes and nickels totalling $70 as a gift to the family to help them get back on their feet.

Having received a donation for the Red Cross and Tom’s place of work, the family was able to temporarily take up residence at a local hotel for roughly $2,000 per month.

“I appreciate what people are doing, and I am glad I have friends and neighbours that like us that much to roll up their dimes and nickels,” said Tom. “We’ve got a book at the hotel room of people that we have to thank.”

Christine said while they had lost nearly everything, another blow to the family was items they had just designated into their donation pile which will now end up in the dumpster due to the contamination from the water.

“We just got finished doing laundry and sorting through it, and saying this doesn't fit so we can donate that. We had all kinds of stuff out there and it’s all in the dumpster,” said Tom. 

Despite the knowledge this flood means restarting their lives, Tom and Christie said their family is alive, including their cat who was at the apartment during the flood.

The couple said they can replace the water-damaged electronics but wouldn’t have been able to replace each other. 

For the next few days, Tom and Christie will be working around the clock, aided by family and friends, to remove their damaged belongings and empty their apartment so contractors can come in and rebuild.

A GoFundMe has been set up by a friend and can be viewed here.


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Daniel Caudle

About the Author: Daniel Caudle

Daniel Caudle is a journalist who covers Guelph and area
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