It’s not uncommon to feel that politicians are a bit disconnected from the daily challenges their communities face. However, when severe storms flooded thousands of homes in St. Catharines, Mayor Mat Siscoe felt the impact personally.
Siscoe recorded a heartfelt plea for disaster aid while standing knee-deep in the murky waters that had filled his own basement.
Both St. Catharines and the Town of Lincoln have declared states of emergency following two intense storms that dropped over 140mm of rain in the area on July 27, 28, and August 2.
In a video shared on social media, Siscoe urged both provincial and federal governments to provide assistance to thousands of impacted residents, many of whom are elderly and at risk.
“Walking through my flooded basement for the second time this week. I, like you, am going through it again tonight and I just want to say that all of you who are dealing with the same thing, my heart goes out to you,” he stated.
“This message is for my federal and provincial colleagues. The City of St. Catharines for the second time in five days is dealing with more than 100mm of rain … thousands of homes have flooded out … and thus far we have been dealing with it on our own.”
“The city has been left to fend for itself,” he mentioned.
I want to thank all first responders and staff at all levels of government who have been working… pic. twitter. com/69GIbyf WDZ – Doug Ford (@fordnation) August 3, 2026 Siscoe told Breakfast Television on Tuesday morning that promised assistance hasn’t arrived yet and emphasized that city finances are dwindling fast as they wait. “It’s important to recognize this is actually a series of three torrential downpours,” he stressed. “More than a hurricane’s worth of rain in each one.” “We need assistance; we have vulnerable people in our community who aren’t able to do cleanup work. I’ve heard from seniors and people facing accessibility issues living with sewage in their basements for over a week now while we try our best with limited resources but need Ontario Corps.” “The premier has said help is coming, but we need it as soon as possible.” “We still don’t know if or when; I’m saying ‘when’ because I’ve been assured it’s going to happen.” Siscoe pointed out that given how often extreme weather events are happening now, governments must be better prepared moving forward. “Long term I think we need to rethink how we handle disaster assistance because weather events like this are quite unusual-unprecedented even here-but they’re popping up more frequently across Canada. We require a better response than waiting until after things go wrong before starting discussions about deploying help.” A spokesperson from the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response said Wednesday morning that help is being actively deployed.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is currently assessing situations against DRAO eligibility requirements,” according to their statement. DRAO helps eligible residents cover costs not included by private insurance but isn’t meant as an alternative for insurance coverage. The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) is also coordinating closely with municipal emergency management officials throughout Niagara Region,” added the ministry. “To support residents affected by flooding, we’re actively deploying Ontario Corps partners so they can deliver cleaning kits along with making air purifiers available upon request to help dry out basements.”
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Ford Promises Support
Since then, Siscoe says he’s talked directly with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who assured him that help will be provided soon. “I had a good conversation yesterday with Premier Ford and he pledged that the province was going to be on the ground…” “He (Ford) talked about Ontario Corps, which is a request we’ve had in since last Tuesday when the first flooding happened,” he added. Ontario Corps is a volunteer program run by the province designed to assist during emergencies. In a post on social media, Ford outlined how the province would support affected residents. In response to recent flooding in Niagara Region, the province is working closely with impacted municipalities to provide support and assist with flood recovery.I want to thank all first responders and staff at all levels of government who have been working… pic. twitter. com/69GIbyf WDZ – Doug Ford (@fordnation) August 3, 2026 Siscoe told Breakfast Television on Tuesday morning that promised assistance hasn’t arrived yet and emphasized that city finances are dwindling fast as they wait. “It’s important to recognize this is actually a series of three torrential downpours,” he stressed. “More than a hurricane’s worth of rain in each one.” “We need assistance; we have vulnerable people in our community who aren’t able to do cleanup work. I’ve heard from seniors and people facing accessibility issues living with sewage in their basements for over a week now while we try our best with limited resources but need Ontario Corps.” “The premier has said help is coming, but we need it as soon as possible.” “We still don’t know if or when; I’m saying ‘when’ because I’ve been assured it’s going to happen.” Siscoe pointed out that given how often extreme weather events are happening now, governments must be better prepared moving forward. “Long term I think we need to rethink how we handle disaster assistance because weather events like this are quite unusual-unprecedented even here-but they’re popping up more frequently across Canada. We require a better response than waiting until after things go wrong before starting discussions about deploying help.” A spokesperson from the Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response said Wednesday morning that help is being actively deployed.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is currently assessing situations against DRAO eligibility requirements,” according to their statement. DRAO helps eligible residents cover costs not included by private insurance but isn’t meant as an alternative for insurance coverage. The Provincial Emergency Operations Centre (PEOC) is also coordinating closely with municipal emergency management officials throughout Niagara Region,” added the ministry. “To support residents affected by flooding, we’re actively deploying Ontario Corps partners so they can deliver cleaning kits along with making air purifiers available upon request to help dry out basements.”
“We’ll keep collaborating closely with municipal partners while monitoring developments so we can determine any additional needed resources.”
A flooded home in St. Catharines flooded following heavy rainfall. Keep it FactualAdd City News Toronto as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.
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