'It's been unprecedented': Snow removal and flood repair companies working around the clock

Beeping, scraping and shovelling have become the soundtrack for the city this winter as crews work around the clock to catch up with snow clearing.

Jordan Brown, the owner of Whiteout Group, said he's never been so busy clearing and hauling snow from commercial and residential properties.

"It's been unprecedented," said Brown. "In my 15 years of doing snow removal, I've never seen anything quite like it."

In order to keep up, Brown has been running clearing crews around the clock.

"It is all hands on deck. We have two people in our office that are diligently working every day to hire more people to staff equipment because we are running 24/7," noted Brown.

With crews working hard to clear the massive amount of snow, the season is starting to wear on them.

"It's been quite challenging for not only my staff but all the families in the background, having you know a husband or a wife not there that are working 12-hour days for months and months," said Brown.

Maurice Leduc, the owner of Leduc's Snow Removal and Landscaping, has also felt the pressure to keep up.

"You just can't breathe, storm after storm, the winds, it's tough to keep up," said Leduc.

Leduc said the City of Winnipeg snow dumps are very busy this season, with massive piles of snow accumulating.

"People are waiting at the snow dumps like 40 minutes. I don't know if people understand how expensive it is to haul," he said.

According to the City of Winnipeg, three out of its four snow dumps still have room.

SNOW ALREADY CAUSING FLOODING

The snow is keeping more than just clearing crews busy.

David Friesen from ServiceMaster Disaster Restoration of Winnipeg said calls about frozen pipes flooding have doubled to around 100 calls this month.

"The extreme cold, I think it's driven the frost into the ground. It's frozen more pipes," said Friesen, "With intense snowpack and the insulating factor of it, it's just caused more damage than we've ever seen in February before."

Friesen said there are a couple of things homeowners can do to ensure their house stays dry.

"Most important would be to make sure that your sump pump is working properly and test it before the spring season hits, not when it hits."

While Friesen believes keeping snow away from around your foundation and windows helps, he said homeowners need to take a top-down approach.

"Make sure that your roof is clear and those vents are clear so that you don't get ice damming as the sun warms and cools the attic spaces. That's quite important."

Friesen said the most flooding would happen if there is rain while there is still snow clogging people's drains.

The City of Winnipeg says as temperatures warm up in the weeks ahead, crews will transition from snow clearing to its spring program.

It includes the steaming and thawing of frozen catch basins and clearing ditches so the snow melt can flow.