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12 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday January 31, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Residents were ankle deep in water Continued from page 1 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2007 11:00am to 3:00pm International Centre Aviation Ballroom, 6900 Airport Road Sponsored by You won't want to miss this annual event! Speak one on one with Exhibitors showcasing dozens of Residential and Day Summer Camps for your child. Explore opportunities in Arts & Crafts, Riding, Swimming, Tennis, Golf, Gymnastics & more. For more information please call 905-815-0017 or toll free 1-800-265-3673 "We came home to probably the biggest disaster I've ever seen," said Parfitt, whose apartment is directly across from the broken pipe in the north end of the building. "Our apartment was completely flooded, especially into the sunken living room. Everything on the floor level was under five inches of water." Parfitt and roommate Paul Sterling are just two tenants who were upset and demanding that repairs be made and they be compensated for the damage ­ to carpets, furniture and other items that were on floor level. Residents also complained that the 17th floor hallway was cold, and that they hadn't heard much since the flood from Cap Reit, the company that owns and rents out the building. "We haven't been able to get a hold of them," said Sheridan College student Jenna Millar, who lives on the ninth floor. When approached yesterday by The Oakville Beaver, Cap Reit employees, gathered in the rental office at 1297 Marlborough Ct., declined comment and told the paper to contact a spokesperson at the main rental office for a statement. The spokesperson did not get back to the paper to comment by press time. Maintenance workers were on site in some of the worstdamaged rooms, digging up wooden tiles to dry out the floors, as fans and dehumidifiers hummed in the units and hallways. Joseph Lague, who missed classes at Sheridan College Tuesday to help clean up some of the mess, was in his 17th floor unit with two roommates when the flood started flowing under their door Saturday. "We were fortunate that we were able to stop a lot of it," said the 22-year-old animation student. "It started in the kitchen and then it just started flowing in our dining room. We had to move everything out quickly so it didn't get damaged." Even though he and his three roommates were bailing, the water still reached four or five inches high in the kitchen, Lague said. "We started with towels, and then it got so bad that we & Make Your Home Comfort More Affordable LENNOX SALE CENTRAL AIR & FURNACE ® Up to $ 1000 Rebate *OAC * Instant 10 Years Parts & Labour Warranty * NO PAYMENT! Financing Available *Call for Details NO INTEREST! As Low As $ 3995 /month FOR 6 MONTHS AND O.A.C. NO DUCTS · NO PROBLEM Save $350 on ductless air conditioners W E S T 7 locations to serve you better! 905-849-4998 www.aireone.com 1-888-827-2665 Nottinghill Co-operative Preschool OPEN HOUSE & REGISTRATION for the 2007/2008 school year. Saturday, February 3 ­ 9 a.m. -12 noon · Energetic, enthusiastic ECE-trained teachers · A safe, nurturing environment for ages 2 to 6 · Two-morning and three-morning programs geared towards individual age groups · Five-afternoon JK program · Readers Count - an alternate day SK enrichment program 1469 Nottinghill Gate (in Glen Abbey United Church) 905-827-1442 were just pouring buckets into the sink." Parfitt and Sterling got a later start on the bailing. The pair came home after grocery shopping on Saturday to find their hallway flooded. "We opened our door and found all the water was just running everywhere, all through the apartment," said Sterling. "The water level was so high that you literally had to dump it ­ we were dumping pails into the sink as fast as possible. We were bailing for about two to three hours, but nothing was really happening. There was too much water." Added Parfitt, "We literally used every towel in our possession." Belongings in many of the units were piled on beds, counters and out of the way to keep them off the wet floor, though many items, including furniture, were damaged. While the north end of the 17th floor was worst hit, apartments directly below 1703 and 1704 were basically getting rained on from above. Stephanie Chalmers came home Saturday night to find her roommate mopping up their living room, and water pouring down from their ceiling and down their walls. "There was water pouring down all over the place, pouring out of the fireplace, just pouring. We had two inches," said the 19-year-old. "There was a lot of water ­ I mean, like a river." Chalmers and her two roommates, who all attend Sheridan College, had moved much of their furniture from the worst-hit spots and were drying their living room carpet over a banister yesterday. The wood tiling in their living room was completely dug up because of water damage, and one of the bedroom floors was also badly flooded. Sharai Ross was at Sheridan College when two friends, who also live in the building, warned her about the flood. "I was terrified that I'd come home and my cat would be lying in a puddle of water," said the 21-year-old, who was happy to find her cat safe and sound. What she did find was water streaming into her apartment from the hall and through the bathroom fan. Ross' bathtub yesterday was filled with wet towels she used to try to clean up the flood. "It's sad. I felt homeless for Saturday and Sunday," she said. "They turned off our heat, they turned off our water, they turned off the power. We had nothing. "I was basically a refugee," Ross added, noting she slept Saturday and Sunday night in a friend's unit that wasn't as badly damaged by the flood. Many residents are staying in alternate locations while the building dries, others went to hotels Saturday night if they could, and still others opted to stay at the apartment, as Parfitt put it, "Because we didn't have anywhere else to go." While elevators had been out of service since the flood, one was up and running yesterday thanks to manual operation by a maintenance worker on site. Harrison of the fire department noted all "life safety systems are up and running," including sprinklers and the fire system. Security guards are on hand and a Fire Watch has been posted at the building, which means the building is checked every 30 minutes to ensure it's problemfree.