 |
 Volunteers
use a floating docks to form a bridge used to transport
sandbags from dry land to homes on Leo Lane under threat
of flooding by the rising Ottawa River. Fred SherwinéPhoto |
Residents
living on Leo Lane near Cumberland Village are embroiled
in an ongoing battle against the rising waters of the Ottawa
River and for now they appear to be holding their own although
the worst is still to come.
Experts
are predicting the river could rise at least another foot
over the next few days despite the fact that it is already
four feet above normal.
For at
least three houses on Leo Lane, a coffer dam purchased after
the 2017 flood seems to be doing the trick in holding the
water back along with hundreds of sandbags filled and put
in place by a small army of dedicated volunteers.
Three
other homes left unprotected haven't fared so well and are
now flooded by the murky water along with several homes
on nearby Morin Road, leaving the city facing the difficult
decision of shutting off power to the area.
The power
had to be shut off and the residents evacuated during the
2017 flood. Many couldn`t return home for weeks afterwards.
Several
of the residents who left their homes in 2017 are vowing
to stay this time around and they've purchased generators
to keep the lights on and their appliances running. One
fo those residents is Mike Potvin who spent over $300,000
on renovations after the 2017 flood destroyed his cinder
block foundation. He has since raised the gound floor of
his house nearly eight feet. It is now an island.
"We're
not going anywhere. We have a generator plenty of fuel and
enough food to last us a week," says Potvin.
That same
sentiment is echoed by several of his neighbours.
Up river
where the flooding is much worse in Fitzroy Harbour and
Constance Bay, abiut 400 soldiers from CFB Petawawa have
been called in to assist with the sandbagging operations
after the city declared a stated of ermergency on Thrusday.
They may end up assisting with the voluntary evacuations
after experts warn that the swollen Ottawa River could surpass
the 2017 flood level by 10-20 centimetres.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
SDBC TAPROOM CONCERTS PRESENTS Joe Ray McDonald and Dylan Watts live and in concert at the Stray Dog Brewing Company, 510 Lacolle Way in the Taylor Creek Business Park. Tickets $15 available at 
CUMBERLAND INDOOR WINTER MARKET from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the R.J. Kennedy Arena in Cumberland Village featuring local produce and products and items produced my local artisans PLUS a cash style breakfast.
SNOWFLAKE SOCIAL from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Willowbend Retirement Community, 1980 Trim Rd. (corner of Innes Road). Chase away the winter blues with some wine and cheese. Visit with residents while and enjoying some live music and take a tour of our facilities. Everyone welcome.
TRIVIA NIGHT from 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday night at the Royal Oak Pub Orléans. Free to play. Prizes for the winning team! The Royal Oak Pub is located at 1981 St. Joseph Blvd. near Jeanne d'Arc. For more info visit 
