‘Uber Rob’ becomes symbol of N.B. resilience as waters rise
FREDERICTON — New Brunswick’s capital is shifting to cleanup mode after extreme flooding, even as downstream communities including the industrial hub of Saint John prepare for unprecedented flood waters still to come.
Greg MacCallum, director of the province’s Emergency Measures Organization, said his department is “highly recommending” that people in at-risk areas evacuate their homes.
“That’s because of the worsening situation in the south part of the river system. I don’t want people to underestimate the implications of that,” said MacCallum at a media briefing Friday.
“The communities in the southern regions of the province ... should expect water levels to reach historic highs — and by historic highs, I mean at or in excess of the known flood of record: 1973.”
The Saint John River hit 5.43 metres above sea level in Saint John Friday, and EMO said it would likely exceed that on Monday when forecasts say it could reach 5.9 metres. Flood stage in that area is 4.2 metres.
By Friday afternoon, the entire ground floor of the Saint John Marina, about 5,000 square feet, was already covered in water.
“Two years ago we purchased it and then we did about $500,000 worth of renovations to the restaurant and the marina building and it is in about 18 inches of water now,” said co-owner and president Dick Hickey.
“It’s up to the window sills in the restaurant.”
Environment Canada was calling for 10 millimetres of rain for Saint John overnight Friday and into Saturday.
The Canadian Red Cross said 309 households — or 747 people — have registered to say they have left their homes. There are others who have left but not registered.
The Trans-Canada Highway connecting Fredericton and Moncton remained closed to traffic because flood waters have crossed the four-lane highway.
Meanwhile, Emergency Measures officials in Fredericton said it appeared the flood waters on the Saint John River have crested, but warn they will remain high into next week.
Wayne Tallon, the city’s EMO director, said water levels were at 8.0 metres Friday morning — or 1.5 metres above flood stage.
“We anticipate those levels to remain for the next three or four days, simply because the lower basin — all the way to Saint John — is full and exceeding flood levels there. Right now, our water has nowhere to go.”
Tallon said the city is starting to shift to clean-up mode.
The flood waters have deposited tonnes of debris, including logs, wood, even household items such as propane tanks, on some city streets, the riverside green space and residential properties.
“The water is dirty, absolutely,” said MacCallum of the overall river system. He said there were overwhelmed sewage lagoons throughout the water system as well as “things washing into the river you normally find along its banks.”
Many New Brunswickers have responded with such resilience, as well as with neighbourly kindness. Amid the chaos has risen local heroes like “Uber Rob.”
Rob Dekany has since Monday been ferrying seven passengers at a time to Darlings Island, a Saint John-area island where the only access road has been submerged by the flood waters of the Kennebecasis River.
There’s even a schedule posted on a makeshift “Uber Rob” sign at the edge of the water. But Dekany has refused any payment.