Area residents are calling for action to be taken before the City of Meadow Lake becomes the City of Atlantis. Severe flooding was experienced throughout the community this past weekend following the major storm that hit the region Saturday night (July 18). Numerous streets, as well as homes and businesses took on copious amounts of water, resulting in tremendous damage. One of the properties to flood was The Shop, a downtown business located at 132 Centre St. According to owner Carla Silver, the basement of the building often floods because of what she attributes to poorly maintained infrastructure on the city’s part.
“Just curious, can the City of Meadow Lake call a state of emergency and could that possibly result in funding that could be transparently put toward our water drainage problem?” Silver posted via social media. “We clearly have one (an emergency). I’m just trying to think of how we can all be helped because our tax dollars are not doing it. My sincere care and best wishes are going out to everyone who is suffering due to this issue and the recent storm. I feel for you. We all need to help each other even if it’s to know you are certainly not alone.”
Silver is also of the belief the pump used by the city to keep water levels in the municipal retention pond under control was being serviced last Friday (July 17), but was not picked up and put back in place prior to the weekend. As of Tuesday, the pump was in place and operational. “Why was there no backup pump?” Silver wondered. “Why would you take it in on a Friday? Why wouldn’t you cancel the service and maybe try again Monday? Or, why wouldn’t you drain the reservoir as much as you could first?… I feel this is complete negligence.”
In response to Silver’s online posts, Meadow Lake resident Christa Boutin said the retention pond should always have two working pumps at minimum. “This is the norm for most communities,” she noted. “I am so sorry so many residents and businesses have lost so much to this unnecessary flooding. Calls weren’t made or someone is on holidays, who knows?”
In a subsequent social media post, Silver also shared a link to the office of the provincial Ombudsman. Ombudsman Saskatchewan receives complaints from people who think they have been treated unfairly by a provincial or municipal service.
Meanwhile, the City of Meadow Lake is making an effort to address the concerns of residents. Monday (July 20), the city issued a news release stating administration is “actively assessing local impacts and coordinating with government partners to pursue disaster support services and financial assistance programs.” To ensure property owners maintain potential eligibility should disaster financial assistance programs be activated, residents who experienced flood damage over the weekend are advised to take the following steps: take comprehensive pictures and videos, and retain physical samples of damaged items; if needed for safety, residents may begin cleanup efforts and minor emergency repairs to prevent further property damage; maintain detailed logs of all cleanup and repair efforts, including hours worked and any equipment utilized; and keep all invoices, receipts, and proof of payments for expenses incurred during cleanup.
“If disaster financial assistance programs are activated, a qualified professional may be assigned directly to the property by the administering organization to inspect major or structural damage,” the news release reads. “Property owners are advised completing major repairs before further program details are released could impact their eligibility for future financial assistance.”
According to the city, administration is working as quickly as possible to establish support programs. More information will be shared as it becomes available on the city’s Facebook Page, via the Voyent Alert! App and on the city website. Area resident Jen Grassl, however, is not confident in the city’s efforts. “Honestly this city is a joke,” Grassl shared via social media. “The only reason they posted that flood relief was to cover their asses and make it seem like they are trying to help. They don’t care. They care about their fat paycheques the residents pay every year. And, for doing what? Nothing. I’ve never seen a city have so many issues in my life. From power outages, streets falling apart, no proper traffic lights and the biggest of all, flooding. It’s not just a dozen people affected this time, it’s hundreds. This has been happening for years, yet no plans ever. You need to stand up for your rights as a resident of this city. You deserve more than what they offer.”