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424u Main St. Exeter, Ont. NOM 1S6 ■
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Flood damage
coverage
See pages 2 and 3
Canada Day
celebration
See Second Front
Crossroads
Experts
page 21
Announcements
page 22
Classifieds
pages 27-30
Explore your
local parks on
guided hikes
in July
EXETER - Take the opportunity
to walk through your local conser-
vation areas in July on guided hikes
with ABCA staff. On July 2, Patti
Donnelly will head a hike through
Clinton Conservation Area (Clinton
Lions Park). On July 16, Patti will
be at Bannockburn Wildlife Area.
Both hikes start at 7 p.m. and run
until 8:30 p.m.
Clinton Conservation Arca is 100
hectares in size. Although most
people only know the front portion
that includes the picnic area and fit-
ness trail, the 73 hectare eastern
portion is a retreat for naturalists.
The Bayfield River valley has the
three essential elements for birds
and wildlife: food. shelter and wa-
ter. Patti will take you to this por-
tion of the Conservation Area to
show you the features and answer
your questions.
The Clinton Lions Club has
adopted the western portion of the
park and is making impmvemcnts
for park visitors. Because of their
efforts, the ABCA can continue to
protect the river valley and keep the
area open for the public.
Bannockburn Wildlife Area is a
favorite place away from the towns
and farms of Huron County. The
rolling terrain has five natural com-
munities within the 60 -acre site.
Patti will lead you through the area.
talking about the plants and ani-
mals that make Bannockburn so
special.
The Huron Fish and Game Club
donates money toward the mainte-
nance of Bannockburn Wildlife
Area.
To help offset costs, the ABCA is
charging S7 50 per person or $10.
per family or these hikes.
Take some time in July to find
out more about your local parks. If
you have any questions about the
hikes, please call the Ausable Bay-
field Conservation Authority at
519-235-2610.
Kevin Buchanan stands in his flooded back yard at 67 Huron Stet East during the Thursday morning clean-up. His newly furnished basement was flooded
with four feet of water. Many of his neighbors faced a similar situftion.
Massive clean up cleanup -is -still
unclerway as4
damagefromflood hit
EXETER - The once -in -a -
hundred -year -flood came back to
Exeter 73 years early.
Torrential rains shortly after mid-
night Thursday morning affected an
estimated 100 homes. It left many
Exeter residents cleaning up and
bailing out when the drainage sys-
tem running across town couldn't
handle the millions of gallons of
water that streamed into Exeter in
such a short time.
The storm hit the worst prior to
1:30 a.m. and it was all over by
2:30 a.m.
This is the worst flood damage to
strike Exeter in 27 years. It was
July 24, 1969 when a sudden heavy
downpour turned parts of Exeter
into a disaster area.
The situation was similar this
time as the east -west drainage cul-
vert and ditch running along Anne
Street couldn't handle the run-off
caused by accumulated water.
Many homes in the Simcoe,
James and Huron Street area were
struck first as the water built up and
raged west, across the Canadian
Tire parking lot, through the store
and across Main Street. The sloping
Anne Street picked up the balance
as the force of nature made its way
westward behind the houses on
William and Carling.
Potential tragedy
The flood was potentially tragic
for a young Albert Street family.
Shawna Clarke and her husband
Gerry are crediting their dog, Max,
for saving the life of their eight-
month -old daughter.
"Jessica was asleep in her crib
when Max woke us up," Shawna
said on Thursday morning.
Gerry waded through knee-deep
water in their home to get his
daughter out of danger.
"The water was higher than the
electrical outlets but Gerry took the
risk of being electrocuted to rescue
his baby," said Shawna.
A few hours later, when the
couple had a chance to check the
damage and reflect on their good
fortune that Jessica was unharmed,
the reality of the clean up ahead
was sinking in.
"We're moving," Gerry said.
"To a house on a hill," added
Shawna.
The Clarkes are not covered by
insurance. In fact, flood insurance
is something many people are wish-
ing they had as they face thousands
of dollars in damage to repair their
properties hack to a normal state.
Store damage
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Chris MacDonald helps Garrett Colter cross Main Street In front of Canadian me. Water flowing down Anne Street was power-
ful enough to carry them, and their floating air mattress, down a block to William Street.
Staff at Dinney Furniture and Ca-
nadian Tire worked most of the
night cleaning up. Dinney Furniture
appeared to be the worst off as wa-
ter and mud poured into the store.
Furniture was piled up everywhere,
forcing owner Jon Dinney to seek a
temporary location at 63 Main
Street (formerly Campbell Ap-
pliance and Furniture) to facilitate
clean-up at the store.
How much rain fell?
The storm dumped approximately
3.5 inches of rain in an hour ac-
cording to the Ausable Bayfield
Conservation Authority gauges.
Although Exeter radar in-
formation was not available on
Thursday, estimates indicate the
heaviest rain fell prior to 1:30. The
worst hit area was just south of
Highway 83, according to ABCA
Water and Planning Manager Alec
Scott.
In addition to residential and
commercial water damage. farmers
suffered two -fold loss. Young crops
that are in standing water will rot
unless warm weather can dry up the
fields quickly. As well, topsoil has
washed off fields, leaving roots of
plants exposed and carrying away
seeds.
"As you drive through the coun-
tryside. you see the farmers' fields
have had major wash outs," said
Scott. "It's a double whammy.
Some of the seeds washed out and
some of it's still sitting under wa-
ter."
Although the storm caused se-
rious damage for many Exeter and
area residents, it could have been
much worse. Most of Anne Street
was spared major damage due to
the completion of the Railway Cul-
vert Improvement Project last
summer.
"I'm quite sure that if it hadn't of
been done, there would have been a
lake similar to 1969," said Scott.
In order to gather current area in-
formation, Scott advises residents
who have rain gauges cal) him at
the ABCA office to record the data.
According to Mayor Ben Hoo-
genboom, a system could not be
Mor' photos
on neXt page'
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