Flood-weary residents are anxious to begin massive cleanup
Floodwaters in Ottawa and Gatineau are falling by as much as one or two centimetres an hour, but residents still need to be cautious, officials warned Tuesday.
Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin said residents were feeling hopeful as water levels dropped between 12 and 18 centimetres in spots, but residents shouldn’t rush to start the cleanup quite yet.
“We understand that some people have been fighting for three weeks, almost a month. People are anxious to do the cleanup and put things back, and I want to send a message: Please wait. Give us time to structure our actions,” PedneaudJobin said. “We are creating a procedure. For example the sandbags — we don’t want to pick them up too soon. We want to leave them there to protect until we have a guarantee that the situation is passed.”
Cleaning up trash and flood debris and repairing basements must also wait, he said.
He warned that some roads must remain closed for safety.
“Even though the water is gone, it doesn’t mean that what is underneath is solid.”
The Ottawa River Regulating Committee reported Tuesday that the water level in the Ottawa River in Gatineau had fallen 12 cm from its high water mark Monday.
The committee also said the rate of decrease is expected to be 15 cm a day in the area near the Hull Marina.
The decline was much more gradual in Constance Bay, where the water levels had only fallen about five centimetres since their peak on Monday.
West of Fitzroy Harbour, at Les Chats, the water level had only fallen two centimetres as of Tuesday morning. It could still be weeks until it returns to seasonal norms, the secretariat said.
While the water was gradually falling, “it doesn’t mean we’re out of the woods yet,” warned Ottawa Coun. Eli El-Chantiry, adding roads that were under flood water may be vulnerable and covered in debris after the water recedes. He also cautioned residents not to act too quickly in removing sandbags.
The forecast is taking a turn for the better, with little precipitation expected over the next five to six days. Temperatures will also warm up starting Wednesday, although there is a moderate risk of showers every day through Monday. Still, there is no reason to believe the river will rise again, PedneaudJobin said.
“It’s not going fast, but it’s going in the right direction, so people have to arm themselves with patience,” he said. “The river is wide. It’s going to take a long time.”
Life is slowly returning to normal in Gatineau: Federal government office buildings were to reopen Wednesday and employees are expected back at work.
Many city facilities remain closed and nearly 1,000 people are still in the care of the Red Cross.
More than 500 homes have been evacuated, and more than 150 pets are being looked after.
Nearly 300 homes have no gas and almost 350 are without power.
Gatineau police and members of the Armed Forces were crisscrossing flooded areas overnight. Public Works employees have made more than 3,000 visits to residents this month.
The Hull and Gatineau hospitals have resumed elective surgery and outpatient clinics are open as well, although the hospitals warned there may be some delays. Patients who are not able to travel to the hospitals can reschedule.
Highway 50 westbound reopened partially Tuesday and Fournier Boulevard opened in both directions after being packed with gravel.
In Ottawa, Highway 174 reopened Tuesday after being closed Monday due to soil erosion along the roadway.
It was expected to close again Tuesday night as crews continued to make repairs, but reopen again before Wednesday rush hour.
In an update Tuesday, the city of Ottawa reported that the emergency operations centre, located in city hall, has split into two teams: One handling the flood response and another overseeing flood recovery.
A public meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in Constance Bay.
An information session on financial aid from the government of Quebec, meanwhile, will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Polyvalente Nicolas-Gatineau cafeteria at 360 La Vérendrye Blvd. E.
Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson indicated he’ll ask for council’s support to defer the final property tax due by about six months until Dec. 7 for people affected by the floods.
The regular timelines have the city mailing the final tax bills between May 17-24 with a payment due date of June 15.