The mission of CBBCA Flood Relief has evolved from protecting property, to protecting the health of residents, to providing the building materials uninsured families needed to carry out timely repairs, to supporting survivors through the Disaster Recovery Assistance process, and now to supporting rebuilding efforts for the 2 families most in need.

Mennonite Disaster Service has been with us throughout our journey; helping with the cleanup, carrying out repairs on over 20 homes, and now rebuilding. MDS has assisted our most vulnerable residents with over 2,000 hours of labor through the repair phase and more than a thousand more in rebuilding. Mennonites from our own city, throughout the valley,  and across Ontario and Manitoba have been here and we cannot say enough about the compassion and inspiration they have given to us. On behalf of the many whose lives have been touched; we are profoundly grateful.  

We are also grateful to the many companies, volunteers, professionals, donors, and agencies who made, and continue to make, miracles possible.  To the more than 1,850 people who helped, you can’t imagine how important it was just to see you. The things that were accomplished are beyond any expectation. It is in time of need that we learn who are friends are and we are blessed to find so many.

Donations:  When a disaster strikes the catch-phrase “recovery will take years” is often heard and it is spoken with casual, undeniable, and for victims, cruel certainty. For those with parents and grandparents, children, and neighbors it is a statement that should trigger outrage and, fortunately, it does not have to be the case. For nearly two hundred of our potentially vulnerable families CBBCA donations and volunteers have changed the face of disaster; provided hope, relief, and recovery in weeks instead of years. For these families Flood Relief provided electric & gas pumps, fans, dehumidifiers, vacuums, safety equipment, and 1,200 bottles of mold agents which saved residents an estimated $75,000 in expenses and mitigated substantially more in damages.  With the constant support of MDS, Belfor Restoration, Deka Home Building Centre and dozens of other organizations CBBCA Flood Relief was able to provide & install over $65,000 worth of drywall, insulation, water heaters, and other material to accelerate the recovery cycle for dozens of families. People must know that their kindness and generosity has made a very big difference to very many.

Financial donations made to the CBBCA are now being used exclusively for the rebuilding effort; our two priority families faced a difficult road and there is a real possibility that without help they will not make it. They are now paying rent for a place to live and paying a mortgage on a structurally compromised home that cannot be lived in. Even if they downsize, cut back on everything, get volunteers, do it themselves, and leverage all of the other logical alternatives they still need to find about $45,000 or they cannot rebuild anything. At the heart of Ontario’s Disaster Relief program there are 3 things that are profoundly unjust 1) the only low/fixed income safety net is the waiving of the $500 deductible 2) it requires the family to pay at least 10% of eligible cash outlays and 3) it singles out Septic Systems, which have a $20,000+ price tag, for depreciated compensation. We shared this opinion with the Premier and have been informed there is no plan for change.

The choices are stark; pay money you don’t have to rebuild or lose your home but keep the mortgage. With each passing month the financial situation deteriorates; waiting creates even larger obstacles to over-come or they can build now and have faith the money will come. The decision was ultimately not difficult for our five neighbors; the uncertainty, the stresses, and the hardships are too great to wait more months or years. On Tuesday November 21st 2017 the rebuilding process began with the demolition of these two homes and on December 20th MDS, the Miracle Delivery Service, began construction of new homes for these five people.

Today, nine months after the event, the resolve of Heather, MDS, Deka, Eli and the many supporters, has brought completion into view. Every day brings a new act of generosity, a stride forward, and another fleeting moment to stay close to the brilliant flame of human kindness that was lit on April 29th. 

Damage Report
The final estimate of West Carleton homes damaged by the flood is 514; 471 in Constance Bay, 37 in Dunrobin & Fitzroy Harbor, and 6 in other communities. Approximately 300 were impacted  as the water rose between May 1st & 7th.  Between May 5th and 10th another 225 inland homes, built far from the water and above the 100 year flood mark, were flooded by rising ground water that in some cases took 2 months to recede. There were severely impacted homes on Armitage, Bayview, Baillie, Baldwin, Sunning Hills, Moorehead Dr, MacLaren’s Landing, and Lighthouse Lane in Vydon Acres with basement flooding on Barlow, Bishop Davis, Fireside, Macrostie, Stiver, and several other streets. In about a dozen cases, including 3 of the 4 homes destroyed,  the extended saturation of the ground caused foundation erosion and structural damage. About 9 homes still require additional work or rebuilding.