Flood victims want answers
Published Friday September 11th, 2009
A rain storm causes flooding, evacuation
A post-tropical storm left low-lying homes in the
Residents on
This time it was Danny who dropped 108 millimetres of rain in the region. It was Hanna who flooded the area last September, and residents have come to fear heavy rain warnings because of the consequences they bring.
Water levels from last month’s floods ranged from ankle-deep to 2.4 metres and while some residents rode out the storm inside their homes, others were forced to leave for fear of electrical fires. One woman was brought out by zodiac boat.
Officials from the fire department have said water lines in Rothesay aren’t able to handle the large volumes of water rushing through its systems. The town engineer confirmed this as the cause of the floods.
In the days after flooding residents had questions about what was being done to correct the problem.
“We’ve been trying to get the town to do something about it,” said one resident. “(The town is) supposed to be taking care of (its) residents.”
Officials from Rothesay say the solution is full of complications.
A natural stream runs through the community that saw the worst of the flooding. To dig deeper ditches or build larger pipes would disturb the waterway, which contains fish habitat. If any work was to take place it would have to follow regulations of the Department of Environment and Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said the town manager.
Another option is to hold water back in the area of
Council is reviewing the construction options and town officials say the problem is being taken seriously.
Residents in the low-lying area know the answer isn’t easy – but they want action now.
“We can’t live like this,” one woman said. “It’s totally unnecessary that we have to live in those kinds of conditions.”
Candice Mac Lean is the editor of KV Style. Reach her at maclean.candice@kvstyle.com.
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Shouldn't have built within the flood plains of the watercourse or the wetlands surrounding it. If homes would have been constructed out of these areas and out of the 30 metre buffer as recommended by most jurisdictions in North America (if not enforced) then this would not be such a serious issue. Particularly in this area after looking at the Google Earth image online. The area due south is all swamp as was likely the subdivision area prior to construction.
But hind sight is 20/20 and now millions must be spent to literally bail out a community under siege from the environment.
It's only going to get worse in that area as more natural areas are hardened off with development. Or maybe protect these areas and use as accessible public green space? Nah...pave it over who cares about the flooding, baby needs a new pair of shoes!