‘A nightmare scene’: Flood damages donated computers at Calgary community centre

A Calgary community organization planning to give students laptops for at-home learning has been devastated after finding a flood inside the building where the laptops were held.

Last year, parents reached out to the Youth Empowerment and Skills Centre (YES) about their fears of online learning, and how they would be able to quickly get their children a device.

And for some families, it was multiple children needing a device.

“So, we said ‘should something happen this time? We have something to start with.’ And that hope was gone,” said Gar Gar, the executive director at YES.

Calgarians donated over 100 laptops to give to students if they went back online this school year.

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Those laptops now sit in a building full of water after a pipe burst during the city’s cold spell. The computers damaged with no use for those who need it the most.

But, it wasn’t just laptops.

“It was a nightmare scene. All the things in the youth centre being soaked in the water,” said Gar.

“We are centreless. That’s what I call it because we cannot use the centre because of the structure and the water inside and at this time… it’s the most needed time.”

Gar says the kids that come to the centre are at risk, and during COVID, they rely on it for a sense of community.

“The kids that we have, they’re walking through thin ice. And every crack they fall in, it’s not only just a small crack, but I usually describe it as a giant hole with a big spike on it.”

Despite these troubles, Gar is optimistic. He’s grateful the community came together to donate the laptops, and he knows that the community can come together again to fix the damage this flood cost.

To find more information on YES and what you can do to help, click here.