Friday, 29 Mar 2024

City of Clarence-Rockland declares state of emergency as Ottawa River rises

The city of Clarence-Rockland, which sits just east of Ottawa, has declared a state of emergency due to rising flood waters in the Ottawa river.

This decision comes one day after the city of Ottawa had also declared a state of emergency for the same reason.

“The Mayor of Clarence-Rockland, Guy Desjardins, declared a state of emergency on April 26 at 11:00 a.m., due to the unprecedented rise in the Ottawa River,” said the city in a release. “The water level will rise well above the 2017 peak. This rise is a result of significant northern snow melt and heavy rain fall today and tomorrow.”

According to the city, the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board predicts a peak of 44.1 metres on April 30, about 16 inches more than during the floods in 2017.

In the case of a declaration of emergency the municipality calls on the province for help in times of great need such as widespread flooding, the province in turn then asks the federal government for help.

The Canadian Armed Forces have already pledged troops to help with the flooding in Ottawa and the same is expected to happen in Clarence-Rockland.

Clarence-Rockland is situated is just east of Cumberland where residents there are also battling flood waters not seen since 2017.

Some of the flooding in Cumberland.

As a lot of the residents in these rural areas rely on wells for water to their homes there is a risk of contamination. As a result, the city of Clarence-Rockland has made clean drinking water available to those in need at water treatment plant, located at 125 Edwards Street in Rockland.

Watch: the Ottawa-area flooding situation this week

Source: Read Full Article

Related Posts