Area was unprepared for water disaster
In Ottawa, Rockland, Gatineau, Montreal, Rigaud and Quyon for the past three weeks, residents have dealt with flooding on their own. They have raw hands from loading sandbags; little sleep while monitoring pumps; anxiety and stress from fighting losing battles. Where were the municipalities and provinces as the rains came, a week before the water surge? Where are the large industrialsized berms that could have blocked the path of the water from entire neighbourhoods? Why was the army not called in a week before to help install these protective berms? The lack of advance planning this spring is bureaucracy at its worst. Large, industrial solutions were needed. The small hand-filled sandbags were a noble, yet insufficient effort. They are useful for small places, and for photo ops by politicians. But it takes time to put large solutions in place. Time to get the materials, time to plan, time to install. The provinces should have called for assistance two weeks earlier. Sherry Oake, Ottawa
English flood support lacking in Quebec
Canada is supposed to be a bilingual country, yet when I call the Quebec government for help, I only get a response in French. When I finally get through to a live person, he or she only answers in French and usually cannot understand English.
Quebec should be providing emergency information in both languages. I have been living in Quebec for 12 years and this situation is getting worse, especially now with the flooding. Peter A. Ferguson, Gatineau
Governments should have reacted sooner Re: A look at exactly how the Ottawa River ran us over, May 9.
The most salient phrase in Kelly Egan’s article is “Sandbagged. Oh sandbagged were we.” I would suggest that sandbagging, vis-àvis the flood preparation on both sides of the Ottawa River, should be looked at with this definition (from dictionary.com) in mind: “To thwart or cause to fail or be rejected, especially surreptitiously or without warning.”
“Cause to fail” is apt in that it speaks to the lack of prior, timely and proactive activity and planning by folks, at all levels of government, who should have known better and responded sooner. The length of the river, its catchment area, especially high run-off volumes after a significantly snowy winter, ground saturation and the advanced knowledge and prediction that a significant rainfall event was imminent — all should have sounded loud alarm bells long before they did.
Almost every story speaks to the outpouring of community support, after the fact, to a disaster. These stories are what those who should have taken action are now praying will continue.
Sadly, the emergency planning folks within each affected municipality dropped the ball. They failed their citizens. The results of this massive failure will haunt too many, too long into the future. The costs will be both financial and psychological.
Flood mitigation assets should have been deployed early. It would have been so much easier to clean up unnecessary sandbags than it will be to salvage the floodravaged homes and lives of those affected by what, with appropriate planning, could have been a much less disastrous outcome. Eric R. Stephen, Ottawa
Houses on stilts could protect against floods
Considering many will want to stay in flooded areas, I’m thinking of a solution that people in the United States use. My brother, who had a summer home in a frequently flooded area in Dallas, as well as his neighbours, built these homes on stilts. They never had to worry about floods.
While in Louisiana, we visited many areas where Hurricane Katrina hit. Those folks, as well as businesses, built their homes and businesses on stilts for the same reason. Rita Mohan, Ottawa
Use our innovation to fight flooding
Sand, sandbags, shovels and human labour have been used to fight flooding for many decades. In this age of innovation and intelligence, could there not be improvements?
Canadians would likely be in support of our government taking the initiative to develop, distribute, stockpile and implement temporary flood control technologies that are quicker to put in place and less labourintensive.
The huge variety of machines, materials and engineering solutions we have today could surely be brought to bear.
Perhaps a national prize for the best three solutions would get the ball rolling? Ralph Billingsley, Essex
Long-term prevention strategies needed
The flooding is tragic, devastating. Fortunately, it is very infrequent too, but we could ensure it hardly ever happens.
In the long term, preventive measures could be put in place: building permanent dikes in flood-prone regions and putting new houses (and even some existing houses) on higher foundations above potential flood levels, and making waterproof basements.
As well, new developments should avoid floodplains. Brian Vollmer, Deep River
Buy out those living on floodplains
Our disaster compensation plan needs a new way of thinking to keep up with climate change. Compensating victims to rebuild and repair their homes is just like daring the water to rise again, perhaps as early as next year. Disasters of the century have become disasters of the decade.
Why not use taxpayers’ money more wisely?
Concede the floodplain and buy out the owners.
We need to face reality. We can’t simply keep throwing good money down the drain. Sam Ludmer, Nepean