Jason Unrau
Northern News Services
Friday, July 27, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Opera music played at YK Centre Mall's south entrance took on biblical connotations Tuesday afternoon as a flash thundershower resulted in significant flooding causing two retailers to close their doors for cleanup the following day.

Water covered the floors of Bootlegger and CD Plus Tuesday by 6 p.m. and according to Noel Hernandez, CD Plus employee, it kept coming for another half-hour through the entrance and from the backstairs.

"It was pretty much gushing in from the front," said Hernandez who called mall security to alert them of the flood. "There were CDs, DVDs just floating around the store... it was bad."

According to Environment Canada (EC) only three millimeters of rain fell Tuesday beginning at 5:18 p.m., from measurements taken at the Yellowknife Airport. But meteorologist Dan Kulac said storms in the region are often localized in intensity.

"So you got nailed in town, but the airport missed it," he said.

Wednesday CD Plus opted to open its doors to customers who didn't mind stepping over large dryers working to dry the carpet. Hernandez, who has worked two years at the shop said it's common for heavy rain and the spring melt to seep into the shop, "But I'd never seen anything like that before."

Yellowknife's Bank of Montreal branch also suffered some minor carpet damage from the flooding but decided to remain open.

"The mall handled everything," said Janet Porteous, branch manager. "I left just after five and got called (by maintenance) at six to come down and yes, we were underwater."

According to Porteous, the mall is going to cover all costs associated with the cleanup.