By Pepper Parr
August 5, 2015
BURLINGTON, ON
Just after 6:30 on April 4th – yesterday, there was a short burst of close to torrential rain that sent shivers of fear through the hearts of hundreds of residents in Burlington
What is normally a parking lot became a pond of water close to a foot deep – commercial operations were hard hit in some areas.
It was exactly a year ago yesterday that the city experienced a rain storm that started at around 1:30 in the afternoon – seemed to be intermittent – but later evidence showed that it was actually three rain storms that were half to a quarter of an hour apart, that hovered over parts of the west end of the city and brought havoc into the lives of hundreds of households.
Radar images later revealed that there were three storms that came into the city and hovered over the west end. The rest of |Burlington suffered very little compared to the south east sector where the damage was devastating. Downspouts that fed into the waste water system didn’t help either.
MPP Eleanor McMahon describes the day as the unthinkable that happened. A powerful and localized rainstorm saw two months of rain fall in Burlington in just three hours.
McMahon said 205mm of rain fell – the record rainfall was 192 mm. The Burlington Community Foundation printed up 500 T shirts with 191mm – but let us not quibble.
They Mayors house was flooded; the home of the Member of Parliament home was flooded.
The home of the woman who was tasked with the job of overseeing the application for ODRAP (Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program) funding had her home flooded.
The storm sparred few.
The accumulation of natural vegetation in the creek beds was thought to b good conservation – it proved to be what plugged up creeks forcing water over the banks and into the streets
Creeks overflowed, parts of roads were washed out, and anxious residents saw their homes filled with water in a matter of minutes; many fleeing their homes with little time to escape the rising water.
“In the water’s destructive wake thousands of Burlington residents were impacted. Returning to devastated houses homeowners began the difficult task of cleaning up, securing what they could of years’ worth of treasured memories, and assessing the damage to critical infrastructure.
MPP Eleanor McMahon taking part in a street festival held to raise funds and celebrate how well communities could gather together for a common cause.
“The sudden nature of the storm left many in shock and disbelief at the power of the water that engulfed their homes and yards. For so many, the toughest days lay ahead as they struggled to discern how and when much-needed assistance would arrive” said McMahon in her newsletter.
The Mayor was out of the city, the city manager was also out of town. Hurried returns to the city and everyone asking questions. What do we do; what are the options and what are the first steps?
The Mayor asked the Burlington Community Foundation to lead the Disaster Relief program once the city had declared itself a disaster area.
McMahon and Regional Chair Gary Carr along with Mayor Goldring got out into the community and met with people.
“I wanted to know what role the province plays in these instances: said McMahon whose home was not impacted.
One of her first calls was to Dan VanderLelie, President of the Burlington Professional Firefighters Association whose home was fine. The two of them began to tour the community.
It was immediately clear to McMahon that a lot of help was going to be needed. Almost before the need for help became evident help began pouring in.
One resident was going door to door in the Regal Road area offering to take dirty clothing home and wash it for people.
Not a day this man wants to remember.
“A fundraising campaign, an opportunity to make a difference by donating to help neighbors became an emergent priority” said McMahon.
McMahon who at one time worked for the national office of the United Way put in a call to Jeff Valentin, the CEO of the United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton and he agreed to explore the possibility of the United Way stepping in, leveraging their website as a fundraising portal for community donations.
The T- shirt told the story about a community effort – and also raised a decent amount of cash.
In one of the most moving moments in the aftermath of the flood, Elwood Road residents Glenn Nicholson and Kara Vanderkooy, their own home severely impacted by the flood, decided to host the “Up the Creek” fundraiser on their street. Working tirelessly with their neighbours, securing donations from local businesses this amazing and heartwarming event raised $20,000 for the flood relief fund. The Burlington Teen Tour Band’s arrival brought an emotional tone to the event as community pride was on full display.
Catherine Brady put in an untold number of hours raising funds and distributing coin boxes,
With the community’s annual RibFest a few weeks away, the local Rotary Clubs announced that they would lend their efforts and this hallmark event as an opportunity to fundraise for flood relief. Thanks to their efforts and leadership – and the generosity of those who attended, thousands of dollars were raised.
In Burlington City Hall, just three months later the dignitaries gathered and announced that the province would provide the City with up to $3 million for flood recover efforts through the Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program, helping residents and businesses with much needed financial assistance.
It was a proud moment that had been preceded by some tough conversations when the province at first told the city that ODRAP support would not be available.
There was a lot of arm twisting going on that no one wants to talk about these days.
When it was eventually made available it was only for those who were under insured or could not buy insurance at any price.
In the weeks that followed the setting up pf the Disaster Relief Committee, Ron Foxcroft and Collen Mulholland, began the difficult task of reviewing hundreds of claims, assisting hundreds of Burlington residents in the process.
One hundred days after the rain stopped falling – there was$905,788 in the bank.
There wasn’t an arm Ron Foxcroft didn’t twist. Even the Minister of Municipal Affairs and housing wasn’t immune to the Foxcroft treatment.
Burlington had done a magnificent job.
On September 15th there will be a public dedication of a plaque naming those who donated more than $5000 and the screening of the video Cogeco television was filming throughout the flood.
The next step for Burlington’s MPP is to push the province to produce an ODRAP program that is less confining and more realistic to the real needs of the public
Unbeknownst to many is the 10% hold back the province applied to the funds they provided – that 10% was to cover “risk mitigation” – where was the risk?
