Residents have not been able to live on their property since the August eruption, and some have a lot of work ahead of them before they can return.
Becky and Bugsy Lamb regained access to their property to find about 61 inches of sewage and water flooding their basement. Mold has leaked and is covering everything in the house.
They have a sewage pump in their basement, but without hydroelectric water and rainwater coming in, it just filled up, the couple said.
“It’s bittersweet today … we knew what we were up to,” Becky said. “We already know we have a lot of problems, but you know what? We’re home, we’re back, our neighbors are getting up.”
The House of Lamb is one of the many that real estate developer Jeff Medeiros expects to work on in the community.
Some are not so bad, but others are like lambs, Medeiros said.
“I’ve been in the industry for about 20 years and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Bugsy and Becky Lamb’s house in Wheatley, OD, is uninhabited due to sewage and mold problems, months after the explosion that shook the city center. (Jacob Barker / CBC)
With their home currently uninhabited, the Lambs have to wait for their safety to decide if it should be evacuated and repaired or removed altogether. The couple would like a fresh start, with the house demolished.
“We know what we prefer because we smelled it, we were in it, but it depends on them,” Becky said.
CLOCKS Real estate restorer Jeff Medeiros says the damage to Wheatley’s home is one of the worst he has ever seen:
Sewage in the basement, Wheatley couple faces chaos
Jeff Medeiros removes 61 inches of sewage from a basement in Wheatley, Ont. It is the worst he has seen in his 20 years in the industry. 1:02
Nearly 100 households and dozens of businesses were displaced after the explosion that shook the center of Wheatley on August 26, 2021. Crews have since been investigating the source of the explosion.
Over the weekend, the municipality of Chatham-Kent announced it would reduce the size of the evacuation zone around the blast site, allowing 34 households and six businesses to return.
On Wednesday, crews were out to move the fence that prevents people from entering or leaving the evacuation zone.
Joe and Reija Gruber moved into their Wheatley home a few weeks before the explosion last August. (Jacob Barker / CBC)
Working on the other side of the road, in the house of Lambs neighbors, is much less scary.
Joe Gruber said returning home and reuniting with his neighbors was an overwhelming feeling.
“Seeing each other behind our houses is a bit surreal right now, to be honest.”
Joe and his wife Reija said that their house just needs a good cleaning, but they will not be allowed to return for the time being. They still have utilities for connection, which can take a few weeks before they are allowed to live in the house.
Reija said she hopes to return by the end of the month.
The couple bought their home just three weeks before the explosion. With their new start in a new neighborhood on hold, they are eager to return to it.
“We haven’t finished unpacking yet, to be honest,” Joe said.
While some families have received good news, others have not been able to return home – they are still in the evacuation zone and living in a vacuum.
Margaret Wall lived close enough to the wreckage to end up in her yard. She said her house is also full of mold.
He now lives in a cottage, but will have to move again at the end of the month.
“It would be great to be able to start work on our house and come back, but … we do not know how long it will take.”
The municipality of Chatham-Kent said it continues to provide temporary housing assistance to those still displaced. He also said he would try to provide limited access to residents’ homes as required when deemed safe.
