It may have stopped raining and the state of emergency lifted, but many residents of the hamlet of Exshaw continue to deal with water in their homes and mud everywhere as a result of the June flood event.
In particular, residents along Pigeon Mountain Drive and Mount McGillivray Drive are unable to begin recovery due to the amount of standing water, mud and silt left in their yards and back alleys from Jura and Exshaw creeks flooding.
The mud is impeding access, while inside the homes there is contaminated water in basements that cannot be drained.
With the state of emergency officially lifted on Sunday (July 7) the MD of Bighorn is now transitioning into a recovery stage, but for some, things are not moving fast enough.
A meeting Monday night (July 8) saw residents of both streets express the need for an immediate recovery plan to deal with contaminated water throughout the area in order to gain access to their homes and begin cleaning up.
“We have issues with ground water which is coming up and flooding basements and we have an issue with standing water that is keeping yards and back alleys in an almost liquid state,” said Reeve Dene Cooper. “The rains may have stopped, but residents of Exshaw are still trying to get rid of the water.
“Clearly, we are working towards the end of a better place and everybody has to understand we are only beginning to understand our next steps.”
Cooper said administration is developing a recovery plan to address the multitude of issues along those two streets, which includes a lack of access to properties, lack of drainage for water out of the area, and lack of utility services like gas and electricity.
“We can’t even pump out the basements without flooding downstream owners,” he added.
The intensity of the disaster experienced in Exshaw is unprecedented and unexpected, leaving many with questions about their future.
“In these communities there are a whole new series of questions that deal with people’s property and well being and we all have a sense of sober judgment about what is needed to go forward,” Cooper said.
In Exhsaw, 150 out of 200 homes were affected by the flood and at this point 100 are into recovery efforts. However, of the 50 that experienced extreme flooding, 27 remain in a critical state. Cooper estimated six to 12 houses could potentially be demolished, including several damaged in Lac des Arcs and the Benchlands area of the MD.
“We are not out of the situation by any means, there is still property at risk, people are displaced, they lost not only their furnishings, they lost their cars and in some cases they lost their homes as well,” he said.
Representatives from the provincial recovery task force were at the Bighorn council meeting on Tuesday morning (July 9) to hear from council about what help is needed moving forward.
“The east end of Exshaw is still submerged in standing water contaminated with effluent, basements are full of it and there are a number of houses down there that cannot be rehabilitated and will have to be destroyed,” said Councillor Paul Ryan, who also expressed great concern about the public health risk developing with the contaminated water and warm weather. “There is a great deal of concern down there about process and money and paying mortgage on a house they don’t have and rent at the same time.”
Cooper echoed those concerns, telling officials there needs to be immediate assistance for people affected.
“We need a plan that will get the help to these people that will give them the courage to recover their houses and furnishings, but more importantly their financial position,” he said, adding for most residents their home is their biggest investment.
Provincial officials indicated they would try to establish a disaster recovery centre in Exshaw soon.
Exshaw’s community hall was seriously damaged in the flood, with $250,000 in damages to the facility, which would normally have acted as the evacuation centre during an emergency.
As well as the human recovery efforts, Cooper said six creeks throughout the MD of Bighorn will have to be re-established before the next spring flood season comes, which is a provincial responsibility.
He said most of the roads have been protected and all bridges are passable at this point, but there is still a boil water advisory in effect throughout the MD. The sewer system was affected by the flood, but is back up and running. There is also infrastructure that requires work throughout the rest of the district as a result of the flood.
But the costs of recovery from a municipal perspective were of concern for council, as the province has not yet determined the process or provisions under which recovery funds will be distributed.
“We are not in a flush position to take a huge municipal hit at all, otherwise we will end up with a serious assessment increase next year that our citizens would not be able to absorb,” Cooper said.
