The City of St. Catharines has announced a state of emergency due to the heavy rainfall experienced over the weekend.
The Kiwanis Aquatics Centre lobby, washrooms, change rooms, and shower facilities opened their doors to the public at 5:30 a. m. on Monday to assist residents lacking access to these essential services.
This isn’t the first time that residents in St. Catharines have found themselves dealing with water-filled basements.
The recent downpours brought in double to triple the expected rainfall amounts. The emergency declaration helps the city manage its response more effectively, quickly gather necessary resources, and react immediately should conditions worsen.
“There’s an open hole and the water’s just gushing and it’s sewage, I know it’s sewage. It’s clean water and within an hour, it’s brown and you know what it is. And what do you do? You can’t stop it,” William Heerschap, a city resident, tells CHCH News.
“I’ve got two pumps going that can’t keep up. We’re not equipped for this; we’re homeowners. Nobody expects this, not twice in such a short time,” he added.
“It seems like they kind of left us stranded. It looks like a hurricane went through when you drive down the streets; there’s just stuff all over everybody’s lawn,” says Kevin Lanthier, who owns a home in St. Catharines.
“As far as I know, the city is going to do reimbursements for prevention methods but that doesn’t help right now.”
The plea for assistance following severe flooding was echoed in a social media post by St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe Sunday night while he recorded from his own flooded basement.
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“The City of St. Catharines for the second time in five days is dealing with more than 100 millimetres of rain; about a hurricane’s worth dropped on the city in a short period of time,” Mayor Mat Siscoe states.
“This declaration highlights how serious our community’s situation is and shows how much we need continued support from our partners across all levels of government as we work together through recovery.”
“We understand how draining this has been physically, emotionally, and financially for our community. The effects go beyond just material loss and are really taking a toll on our residents,” Siscoe adds.
Niagara Mayor Jim Diodati also shared his experience via social media stating that his basement wasn’t spared either during the flooding.
“I’ve been flooded out. I’ve been hearing about it and reading about it happening in St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake; now I get to experience it myself. It’s not pleasant at all; I feel really helpless with nothing you can do about it,” Diodati said.
The city announced it’s stepping up cleanup efforts by expanding its enhanced waste collection starting Monday.
Through Friday, unlimited regular household garbage bags and cans will be collected along with larger items like furniture and construction materials.
Please place items four feet away from the roadway by 7 a. m., but note that appliances, household hazardous waste, and batteries won’t be accepted.
Due to flooding issues, Fourth Avenue in St. Catharines at Seventh Street Louth and Third Street Louth is currently closed off. Victoria Avenue (Regional Road 24) in Town of Lincoln at the railway underpass is also shut down temporarily.
You can find more details on what steps residents can take if their basements were affected by visiting the City of St. Catharines’ website.
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