 |
 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.)
FREE
FAMILY BUDGETING WORKSHOP hosted by the Community Pentecostal
Church /Christians Against Poverty(CAP), 1825 St Joseph
Blvd. at 6:30 p.m. Learn how to save and pay off your debts
workshop. For more information call 613-837-3555.
FIRST CHOICE will
entertain from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Orléans Legion,
800 Taylor Creek Dr. for your listening and dancing pleasure.
Buffet dinner served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. For reservations
call 613-590-7227.
COMMUNITY
FUNDRAISER hosted by the Royal Oak Pub Orléans in
support of Habitat for Humanity from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Community
BBQ with live bands and a silent auction...The action starts
at 1 p.m. with the first musical act. House band Mandie
& JF and the Chris Evans Band will take to the stage starting
at 7 p.m.!! Come have some fun and show your support!!
ORLÉANS
CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on June 6 and
7 and from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, June 8 in the
Centrum Blvd. Festival Plaza. Presented by Orléans
Festivals and the Heart of Orléans BIA featuring
craft beer from 29 different craft brewers. Food vendors
will include Orléans own Meatings BBQ. Live music
all three days. For more information visit 
