HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-06-29, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017. PAGE 7.
Flood damage in Huron East minor, dealt with in-house
Lands flooded
Between as much as 180 millimetres of rain falling last Thursday and Friday and the
emergency spillway at the Gorrie Dam being used, lands throughout North Huron, Morris-
Turnberry, Huron East and the surrounding municipalities were under water over the weekend.
Above, a farmer's field on County Road 25 near Blyth was under water on Friday. Below, in the
flood plains in Wingham, a large billboard was more than half -covered by the rising waters of
the Maitland River on Saturday. (Denny Scott photos)
Continued from page 6
individuals," Chambers said. "The
Fire Department of North Huron and
Wingham Police were at the table
and talked about potential
evacuation and how they were going
to notify those property owners"
The group was discussing how to
notify property owners when they
received word that the emergency
spillway at the Gorrie Dam had been
breeched.
"We immediately stepped up our
efforts to get notification out and
opened the evacuation centre at the
North Huron Wescast Community
Complex," Chambers said. "We
made transportation available for
those who needed it."
Chambers said the evacuation
wasn't mandatory, however those
who didn't evacuate were
encouraged to closely monitor the
situation.
The Emergency Control Group
met several times throughout the day
to be debriefed on the situation.
After cordoning off the areas that
were near waterways in Wingham,
the municipality's Public Works
department was set on a rotating
shift throughout the evening keeping
refuse from blocking the Howson
Dam.
"We wanted to make sure water
wasn't blocked by debris,"
Chambers said. "Lights were set up
on the dam and the crews were there
all night removing debris."
On Saturday morning, the
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Emergency Control Group met at 8
a.m. for feedback on what had
happened overnight, Chambers said.
The MVCA then said that, while
some areas upstream from Wingham
like Gorrie, were beginning to see
water levels fall, Wingham's water
levels would peak later that day.
Chambers said the situation was
monitored throughout the day to
make sure that ratepayers had the
most up-to-date information and that
the peak river height didn't result in
any damage to municipal
infrastructure, including the Howson
Dam.
Staff's response to the flood was
admirable, Chambers said.
"We were prepared for the worst,"
she said. "We didn't know how
much water we were going to be
getting downstream. We did our best
to notify residents. The team pulled
together well to get the notice out to
people and Public Works did an
excellent job monitoring the dam to
make sure we mitigated as much risk
as possible"
The Emergency Control Group
had one final meeting on Monday at
1:30 p.m. to review the actions of the
group and staff and consider changes
that may be made for the next
emergency.
"We will be putting a report
forward to council in July,"
Chambers said.
A full assessment of possible
damage throughout the municipality
hasn't been completed, Chambers
said, however she said staff was not
aware of any damage to the Howson
Dam as a result of the event.
She also said there were no reports
by Public Works of any damage to
other infrastructure and no reports of
damage in Blyth despite the Blyth
Creek being at its highest recorded
water level since the MVCA began
recording such information 40 years
ago.
HURON EAST
Huron East, including Brussels,
faced some extremely high water
levels according to Director of
Public Works Barry Mills, however
all damage to municipal
infrastructure should be handled in-
house he said.
"We had a few road washouts, but
we were able to deal with most of
them on Friday," he said. "We had
one caution overnight, but we were
able to handle it the next day."
Mills said that, in and around the
village of Brussels, the Maitland
River was high, but wasn't
overflowing its banks. Multiple
municipal drains in the Brussels area
were at capacity for the duration of
the rainfall with water making its
way down the watershed.
"There was lying water in and
around Brussels," he said. "We had a
few calls, but no emergency calls."
Mills had a report from one rain
gauge that indicated five inches of
rain had fallen during the storm.
"We have everything pretty well
handled at this point," he said. "We
might have to replace one culvert,
but that's an in-house job and we
temporarily repaired it until we can
get to it."
HURON EAST
NraWrir
Municipality
of Huron East
Brussels Cemetery
Board - Appointment
The Municipality of Huron East is accepting applications, to fill one
position, from interested citizens of Brussels and surrounding area to
serve on the Brussels Cemetery Board. The appointment will be for
the balance of this term of Council.
For additional information concerning responsibilities, etc., please
contact Doug Sholdice at 519-887-6100.
Applications, clearly marked, outlining background and interest in the
position should be addressed to the undersigned by Thursday, July 13,
2017 at 12 (noon).
Please consider Brussels Cemetery for charitable donations to help
fund ongoing repairs and maintenance of the Cemetery. Any donation
would be greatly appreciated, and a charitable receipt will be issued.
Doug Sholdice, Chair
Brussels Cemetery Board
470 Turnberry St, PO Box 69
Brussels ON
NOG 1H0
LIMOUSINE SERVICES
519-525-1179