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Minister gets bird's-eye view of Markstay-Warren flooding

Updated It may not look like it right now, but the damage caused by flooding in Markstay-Warren is certainly going to cost taxpayers, said the town's mayor.
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Markstay-Warren Mayor Sonja Flynn is helped off an Ontario Provincial Police helicopter after she joined Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Madeleine Meilleur on an aerial tour of the flood damage. Markstay-Warren remains under a state of emergency. Photo by Arron Pickard.

Updated

 

It may not look like it right now, but the damage caused by flooding in Markstay-Warren is certainly going to cost taxpayers, said the town's mayor.

Sonja Flynn said she didn't want to put a cost estimate on what it will take to repair the damage, because “we don't know at this time,” but the town may have to replace three bridges. It will certainly have to repair roads that have been washed out and remain closed as a result of the floods.

“We're into Phase 2 and Day 4 of recovery,” Flynn said. “From here on, it's assessing the damages, getting the paperwork done and putting a mechanism in place to get our roads back to normal.”

Markstay-Warren remains under a state of emergency — one of seven Ontario municipalities to make such a declaration.

Markstay-Warren Mayor Sonja Flynn is helped off an Ontario Provincial Police helicopter after she joined Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Madeleine Meilleur on an aerial tour of the flood damage. Markstay-Warren remains under a state of emergency. Photo by Arron Pickard.

Markstay-Warren Mayor Sonja Flynn is helped off an Ontario Provincial Police helicopter after she joined Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Madeleine Meilleur on an aerial tour of the flood damage. Markstay-Warren remains under a state of emergency. Photo by Arron Pickard.

Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur paid a visit to the flood-hit community this morning. She joined Flynn on an an aerial tour of the flood damage.

“I feel sorry for the residents who had to put up with the (flooding), and I want to thank everyone for their hard work,” Meilleur told media following her helicopter tour. “When things like this happen, you see the good of the people helping one another.”

The tour allowed both Meilleur and Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Linda Jeffrey, who toured Bracebridge and Huntsville, to get a first-hand look at the extent of the damage.

“We want to see from our own eyes, to evaluate the situation, and to the speak with the elected officials to see what we can do to help them,” Meilleur said.

Funding will be made available to affected municipalities through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Each municipality is required to conduct its own damage evaluation, and the ministry will send out field officers to conduct its own evaluations, as well as to support those municipalities.

“We are lucky no one was injured in the floods ... the situation could have been much worse,” Meilleur said. “We get ready for the worst, so when things like this happen, we aren't taken by surprise, and I commend (Markstay-Warren) for being so well organized.”

For now, Flynn said she is “guardedly optimistic” the weather over the next couple of days will be kind to her community. Environment Canada is calling for rain tomorrow and Saturday, but temperatures are expected to stay above zero.

She said she is still amazed by the level of water in some areas, particularly around the Nepewassi Bridge near Highway 535 toward St. Charles. It's usually dry, but it's a river right now, she said.

“I'm amazed to see the damage (from the floods), but even more so at the amount of ice that is still going through the system. God willing, we won't get a heavy rain in the near future ... but who knows what will happen.”

The mayor said she appreciates Meilleur taking the time to visit.

The situation has stabilized in many parts of the province, but in other areas, water levels are expected to rise. Officials at the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre continue to monitor the situation and are prepared to send assistance where it is needed.
 

 

Original story

 

Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services Madeleine Meilleur paid a visit to Markstay-Warren this morning to take an aerial tour of the flood damage.

The tour allowed both Meilleur and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Linda Jeffrey, who toured Bracebridge and Huntsville, to get a first-hand look at the extent of the damage and offer the support of the government and the people of the province, according to a news release.

Meilleur was joined on the tour by Markstay-Warren Mayor Sonja Flynn.

Marskstay-Warren is one of seven communities in Ontario that declared a state of emergency in the wake of flooding. Markstay-Warren remains under its state of emergency, said Flynn.

Check back to Northern Life for more on this story.


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Arron Pickard

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