Flooding by Debby | The House, Then the Business

Quebecers have experienced unprecedented flooding in their homes in recent days. Some of them, who are also entrepreneurs, have seen water infiltrate their business operations.

Last Friday, around 9 p.m., Joanie Dargis found herself with both feet in water in the basement of her home. “At that point, I did 1 plus 1,” explains the Blainville resident, who also owns the company Pixie Woo, which specializes in hair products and accessories. One of the branches is located 400 metres from her home.

Only the Dog River, which experienced a spectacular rise following the passage of the remains of the hurricane Debby Friday, separates them. “In the shop, the water had all gone down, but there was mud everywhere,” describes the entrepreneur. Two computers were lost, while the kitchen and bathroom of the premises were completely dirty.

But that’s not all. Pixie Woo, also present in Quebec and Ottawa, has its warehouse attached to… the Blainville branch.

According to M’s estimates^me Dargis, the loss of revenue associated with the stored products that took on water is equivalent to $125,000. Among the damaged, stained, broken items are pillowcases, bottles of care products, pipettes, advent calendars. The vast majority of these items had not yet been placed on the shelves, or would be used during the busy Christmas period. “It’s even higher as a financial loss. Will the company be able to recover from this?” wonders the entrepreneur.

She thinks about the supply of her two other branches, but also about the satisfaction of her customers and replenishment times.

“We are one [PME]”We don’t have such deep pockets,” confides Joanie Dargis, who closed shop while the repairs were being carried out. An additional loss of income “for her employees,” she adds.

Francis Bérubé, director of provincial affairs for Quebec at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), notes that SMEs do not have “the same financial backbone” as large companies. “One of the elements that has increased the most in costs for SMEs in recent years is insurance costs,” he notes.

Stable buried under water

André Jr Corbeil owns Princess Stable in Lavaltrie. It is located just behind his house, 400 metres from the Saint-Jean River. Since he and his family have lived there, the river had never flooded before this year.

On Friday, their land was completely submerged. The flood forced them to relocate their 32 horses, 10 alpacas, goat and many chickens to cages temporarily set up in their parking lot. In addition to having to cancel the riding lessons offered at the stable, the Corbeil family had to travel around their land by kayak or paddleboard to access the company’s various facilities.

This is the second time this has happened… in ten months. [En octobre dernier]”We lost more than six figures,” Mr. Corbeil explains with resilience. “This time, I don’t know the amount yet, but the insurance companies are not paying because it’s a river overflowing.”

André Jr. Corbeil and his family are still waiting to receive the government emergency aid requested during the previous disaster. The aid would be equivalent to about 25% of the losses incurred, according to the Lavaltrie resident. Fortunately, the animals are doing well, since they are used to being exposed to a body of water, he explains.

He estimates that the losses related to his land could again amount to a sum in the six figures. And that’s without counting, like Joanie Dargis, the losses of the basement of her house, which will undergo complete renovations, also for a second time.

The remedies

On Monday, after the rainy weekend, the FCEI said it had already received several calls on its business resource line. “There are fears that we need to find out more, see if there are programs, things that exist,” explains Francis Bérubé.

He suggests first contacting your insurer. “We may not see a check before the end of the year,” says Joanie Dargis.

In the event that flooding is caused by a river overflowing, as at the Princess Stable, programs are available to entrepreneurs, explains Mr. Bérubé.

On Sunday, the Quebec government reminded citizens affected by the remains of the storm Debbyincluding entrepreneurs, will be able to benefit from the General Financial Assistance Program during disasters¹.

When the federal budget was unveiled last May, the Canadian government also reiterated its desire to create a national flood insurance program. It plans to inject $6.9 million over five years, starting in 2024-2025, to address the issue.

Tight-knit community

Pixie Woo held a special sale to encourage sales of all its products. While they usually take about 40 orders a day, the company has been shipping about 100 orders every day since the flood. “It’s worked really well. It’s really given me hope,” Dargis said.

Disaster recovery work is underway at Pixie Woo’s store and warehouse, which together total 1,230 square feet.

For their part, the families of children who take riding lessons at Princess Stable lent a hand to the Corbeils all weekend. The water level returned to normal on Monday morning, and riding lessons are expected to resume in the coming days.

The FCEI says it is collecting information to establish a better assessment of the businesses affected across the province.

1. Consult the page “Financial assistance during a flood or other disaster”