A long, complicated wait for normal
Flood- struck New Brunswick still scrambling in wake of disaster
Jill Oland’s house in upscale Rothesay, N. B., is dry, but her family is staying elsewhere: Her street is cut off and she doesn’t want her children crossing through potentially contaminated floodwaters.
“All the sewage pumping stations are underwater right now,” said Oland, who donned rubber boots and hip waders to traverse the knee- high floodwaters so she could retrieve some clothes.
“Anybody who’s in a flood area, if they’re using those services, there’s a chance it could backup. We just don’t want to do that. All this stuff is going right into the river right now, so we wanted to make sure we’re not adding to that.”
They left a week ago, and probably won’t return until Sunday at the earliest. As unprecedented water levels receded markedly in parts of flood- stricken New Brunswick Wednesday, residents were being warned to treat the floodwaters and anything they may have contaminated with caution.
Emergency officials were also pleading with residents to be patient.
“We know evacuees are tired and frustrated, and they want to return to their normal routine,” said Greg MacCallum, director of the province’s Emergency Measures Organization. “Everyone is working very hard to enable that to happen, however rushing back home has the potential to make a bad situation worse in some cases... It’s a slow and deliberate pro- cess. It won’t be one moment slower than it has to be.” EMO warned that water should not be consumed from private wells until they have been tested, since raw sewage has fouled floodwaters that have also likely been mixed with rotting animal carcasses, fuel and other debris. Spokesman Geoffrey Downey said anything that has come into contact with the floodwaters should be handled carefully.
“That ground is potentially contaminated, so people have to proceed with caution both for things they can see, including everything from an animal carcass or propane tank to nails and all kinds of junk,” he said.
“Just because the river’s dropping doesn’t mean it’s time to toss that kayak in or get the motor boat out or go swimming.”
Health officials said floodwaters could contain harmful bacteria, like salmonella or E. coli, and people cleaning contaminated areas should wear protective clothing.
EMO said produce - including popular fiddleheads which are harvested by many in the province - that has been exposed to floodwater may not be safe to eat and should be avoided.
Four parks had also been closed in Saint John due to possible contamination from the floodwaters, which remained above flood level in the city. Levels in Fredericton have fallen for a second straight day, going down to 7.2 metres while Saint John levels were at 5.45 metres - a significant drop from their peak of 5.75 metres Monday.
Downey said many areas could be below flood levels by Sunday.
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel,” he said, weary after almost two weeks of monitoring the record- breaking flood.
Several roads in Fredericton also reopened Wednesday after being covered in water for days. Meanwhile, RCMP in hardhit Maugerville were looking for the driver of a vehicle that injured a man who was stationed at a barricade on Wednesday afternoon.