As the Niagara Region focuses on recovering from the floods, both the City of St. Catharines and the Town of Lincoln are still under states of emergency.
The City of St. Catharines has reported that sinkholes are starting to form around town due to the recent heavy rainfall, leading to Geneva Street being closed from Glenholme Drive to Guy Road for repairs.
Eligible residents can apply for the city’s Vulnerable Assistance Registry if they need help with removing water and waste from their homes. They can also call 905-688-5600 for intake support.
Community Care, a charity located in St. Catharines and Thorold, is one of several local partners collaborating with St. Catharines during this recovery process.
The CEO of Community Care, Betty-Lou Souter, mentioned that Fire Chief Dave Upper is part of their board and reached out through the flood relief program in St. Catharines. He informed them that some people are stuck at home without essential supplies they need to get by.
Souter said she was approached about being the food security partner for the city’s Flood Alleviation Program to assist those who are having a hard time.
“My staff came in early this morning to be here and they’re doing all kinds of things to ensure people have the ability to have something in their pantry because it’s really tough times and some of them don’t have insurance,” Souter says.
“The most important thing is the coordinated approach. We’re much stronger together. We have a much greater impact if we all work together.”
WATCH MORE: Niagara Falls launches ‘Flood Recovery Support Registry’
This past Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford visited communities affected by flooding in the Niagara Region, including Lincoln and areas near Jordan.
Siscoe and Ford talked about how disaster relief should look going forward in Ontario and what changes need to happen. Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff was also present for this discussion and will bring this message back to Queen’s Park.
<p“”We need to be working with those partners because we do not have all of the capacity that we need … the province has people on the ground today. Team Rubicon is a part of Ontario Corps,” Mayor Mat Siscoe says.
“They’re going to be helping in those efforts to get to vulnerable residents to pump out basements that still need it, to get furniture and get garbage out of the basements. That’s a public health issue.”
<p mean while in Lincoln, t he town says it continues t o assess t he situation a nd coordinate w ith regional a nd provincial partners.
Ontario Corps will be deployed there f or preliminary assessments w ith a fuller deployment expected f or t he weekend.
The province says t he Ministry o f Municipal Affairs a nd Housing i s actively evaluating whether t he situation qualifies f or t he Disaster Recovery Assistance f or Ontarians Program , which would reimburse affected residents f or clean-up a nd repair costs.
Lincoln a nd St. Catharines have b oth expanded their waste collection program. F or more information visit t he Niagara Region ’s website.
WATCH MORE : Lincoln , Ont. declares state o f emergency after historic flooding
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