city council approves flood relief measures as cleanup continues
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a family in the process of cleaning out their flooded home on queensline drive. a massive flood destroyed their basement with flooded sewage water july 1st.
tony caldwell
/
postmedia
ottawa city council unanimously approved a series of new measures wednesday to help residents recover from the devastating canada day flooding.
staff said the city has received more than 6,000 reports of flooded basements and acknowledged it took several days to understand the full scale of the disaster.
the approved relief package includes a partnership with the canadian red cross to provide longer-term support for residents, waiving several city fees related to flood recovery and connecting homeowners with legal professionals who can help them navigate insurance claims.
council also heard the july 1 storm caused significant flooding along portions of the under-construction stage 2 west lrt extension.
“flooding was seen in several areas, including the section of the guideway near moodie drive, within the tunnel along the kichi zibi mikan, at the stations at new orchard, sherbourne, queensview and pinecrest,” transit services general manager rick leary told council.
leary said early assessments show electrical systems, sections of track and other infrastructure near moodie station were damaged by floodwater. he said it is too early to say how long repairs could take or whether the damage will affect the overall construction schedule.
the storm also damaged several city facilities. facility services general manager dan chenier said ben franklin place’s library and theatre were inundated with nearly two metres of water at one point, while the corkstown pool parking lot sustained significant damage and will temporarily reopen as a gravel lot.
the carlingwood public library branch which has been closed since the storm is expected to reopen by the end of july.
the updates came during an hours-long council meeting that drew a packed public gallery.
mayor mark sutcliffe said the city has a responsibility to help residents rebuild while also determining why so many neighbourhoods experienced catastrophic flooding.
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“first, we must do everything we can, everything in our power to help them recover and get their lives back to normal, no matter how long that takes, no matter what it takes,” sutcliffe said.
“second, we must do a full assessment of what happened on july 1. we must uncover why so many homes were flooded … and third, we must learn from that assessment, and we must do better in the future.”
council approved motions allowing residents who have already received assistance through the city’s compassionate grant program within the past five years to apply again because of the july 1 flooding. councillors also voted to waive demolition fees, building permit fees, fees to obtain historic building permit records and temporary encroachment fees for dumpsters needed during flood cleanup.
the city will also enter into a partnership with the canadian red cross, at a cost of up to $400,000, to provide recovery services for up to six months.
the measures build on the province’s announcement monday that it would activate the disaster recovery assistance for ontarians program and work with the city to determine which affected areas may be eligible.
city manager wendy stephanson described the july 1 storm as an unprecedented event that brought record rainfall while the city was already managing canada day celebrations and extreme heat.
stephanson said the city has now received more than 7,000 storm-related service requests. more than 2,600 tonnes of flood debris have been collected, while more than 100 residents have required temporary accommodation since the storm.
emergency and protective services general manager ryan perrault said city staff had already enhanced operations because of canada day festivities before the storm struck.
“the advanced planning mattered,” perrault said.
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he said the city activated its emergency coordination centre as the storm unfolded, but the magnitude of the disaster became clearer over several days as information came in through 3-1-1 reports, councillors and direct contact with residents.
as of wednesday, city crews had completed more than 3,300 door-to-door wellness visits, more than 1,000 visits to community information hubs and more than 200 followup wellness calls with affected residents. officials said every resident who requested emergency accommodation has been housed.
not all councillors were satisfied with the city’s response.
kitchissippi coun. jeff leiper, who is also running for mayor, said residents struggled to get reliable information during the first several days after the flooding.
“for days, it did feel like the only source of trusted information that was out there was the councillors,” leiper said. “we have to do much better.”
west carleton-march coun. clarke kelly questioned why it took until july 2 for the city to determine it was dealing with a major emergency.
“we didn’t need to know how many 3-1-1 calls were logged to know this was a major event,” kelly said.
some of the day’s most emotional moments came from councillors whose own communities were among the hardest hit.
bay coun. theresa kavanagh told council her own basement flooded during the storm.
“it rained, and it rained, and it rained,” she said.
kavanagh described throwing away family photos and furniture after floodwater filled her basement. while she said she was fortunate to have insurance, she noted many residents have discovered they either lack flood coverage or are struggling with insurance claims.
college coun. laine johnson also became noticeably emotional as she thanked her community, staff and local volunteers who she said have pulled together since the onset of the storm.
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johnson said while many of the recovery measures should have happened sooner, they represent important progress.
“this has come too late,” she said. “but i know that this action by the mayor serves to accelerate and is part of his ongoing commitment to stand up more and more services, so that we leave this better than we found it.”
she later vowed to continue advocating for flood victims.
“i will fight like a tiger,” johnson said.
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