As community members continue cleanup efforts and try to determine next steps in the wake of the recent storm that left homes and businesses flooded, Meadow Lake city council once again addressed the situation. During Monday’s (July 27) regular meeting of council, mayor Merlin Seymour kicked things off by commenting on the July 18 storm and its impact on the city.
“While the water receded quickly, we know things are far from over,” Seymour remarked. “We’ve heard from homeowners, tenants, business owners who are dealing with ruined basements and the overwhelming job of cleanup. To everyone affected, we see you, we know how stressful this is… I want to thank public works, parks and recreation, emergency crews and the many neighbours who stepped up to restore essential services and help clean up.” Seymour went on to highlight the special council meeting held July 22 that saw local legislators approve the submission of an application to the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program (see related story). “We are dedicated to keeping you informed,” Seymour continued. “Please visit yourmeadowlake.ca to report property damage to the city, to find a dedicated question and answer section and for any Provincial Disaster Assistance Program updates… To get updates sent directly to your phone or email, create an account at yourmeadowlake.ca and subscribe to the flood recovery page or sign up for the VoyentAlert app… If provincial funding is approved, formal notice will be mailed to every mailbox in Meadow Lake. Please continue to work with your insurance providers to assess damages and request written coverage letters, as this documentation will be required if provincial funding is designated.”
Councillor Connie Marsh-Yuhasz, meanwhile, said it’s important the city be better prepared when it comes to the potential for future flooding. “I’ve had conversations with members of the public about the aftermath of the storm, and many shared concerns and expressed the hope this kind of flooding never happens again,” she said. “Others questioned if there had been negligence or failures, and I assured them as much as possible administration is thoroughly reviewing the event and this includes investigating equipment and procedures, as well as working with SaskWater to receive a full report about what happened during the storm.” Marsh-Yuhasz continued by stating she hopes the city will use this experience to identify improvements and strengthen its preparedness for future flash flood events. “While we all want to believe this type of flooding will never happen again, the reality is extreme weather and flash floods are becoming more frequent,” she said.
“That makes it even more important we learn from this event and continue investing in better planning, infrastructure and emergency response. I can say with confidence the mayor and council care deeply about our community and about the residents who have been affected. I’ve spoken with people on the east side, west side, north and south, as well as residents in the RM and across the region who experienced water or sewage backing into their basements. The impact has been significant and our hearts go out to everyone who has suffered losses. We are truly sorry for what many have experienced. And, while we can’t change what happened, we can move forward together by learning from this event and do whatever we can to reasonably reduce the risk of it happening again.”
Councillor Marty Bishop agreed, but admitted he was far from pleased with some of the opinions shared by members of the public. “Although I know the aftermath of the storm we experienced is a very trying time, what I was disappointed in was the fact – even before the water started to recede – there were so many negative comments made on Facebook,” Bishop noted. “I understand the knee-jerk reaction of that, but it disappointed me because there were so many comments on there saying we don’t care, our staff doesn’t care, and that is totally false.”
According to councillor Conrad Read, who has served with the Ministry of Highways for nearly 50 years, he has never seen a storm like the one experienced July 18 in his entire lifetime. “The wind was clocked at 100 km/h at the airport… I didn’t know what to expect the next morning, but, when driving around, I saw people with chainsaws helping neighbours and friends cutting trees off of houses, cars, verandas, whatever the case may be,” Read stated. “It was good to see such great teamwork… Like I said, I’d never seen a storm like that before in my life.” Seymour agreed. “The storm had lots of rain and lots of wind, but I think one of the biggest cause for problems was the lack of power for such an extended period of time,” Seymour said. “Anyone with a sump pump in their basement, it’s really tough to make it run without power. The lack of power was a big thing, but that isn’t saying anything bad about SaskPower. They were up to their eyeballs trying to get things figured out… You really can’t do anything about Mother Nature when it comes to something like that.”