Water main break displaces several in White Bear Lake, Minn.

WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. (KMSP) - Residents at a senior living facility had to spend Easter Sunday out of their homes due to a water main break in White Bear Lake the day before, though with a little assistance from the Red Cross they’re hoping things will be back to normal shortly.

Eight families and 10 people in total were displaced by flooding near the Cottages of White Bear Township, which was strong enough to break one resident’s window and leave many homes waterlogged. Nobody was injured as a result of the incident, and most of the residents consider themselves lucky the damage wasn’t much worse.

“We had inches of water that went as high up as an inch on my garage,” said Michael Truhler, who lives nearby the facility and also suffered some minor home damage due to the water main break.

“Fortunately there was a drain down here that was enough to take care of it, so we’re all very lucky.”
Truhler first noticed the problem while driving home Saturday morning, catching a glimpse of several buildings surrounded by water. 

Most of the residents expect to return home in the near future, though the Red Cross says it could be some time before the senior home is fully restored. 

“It could have been much worse,” Truhler said. “There were no injuries, no drownings, and no deaths. That’s what counts, and everybody’s blessed.”