PEMBROKE — At 1:30p.m. Sunday, April 28, Renfrew County Warden Jennifer Murphy declared an emergency due to flooding along the Ottawa River, Bonnechere River and Madawaska River watershed areas across the entirety of the County of Renfrew under the Emergency Management and Protection Act.
Rising water levels pose an ongoing threat to the property, health and safety of residents. Flood levels are currently exceeding the historic levels seen in 2017. Additional significant runoff and rainfall are being forecasted, and water levels will continue to rise. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has issued a Flood Warning for Renfrew County. For safety, all residents should monitor weather conditions, check for updated messages, and exercise caution near fast-moving water. Residents should take appropriate precautions to protect their property in safety-oriented manner.
The County of Renfrew is reminding residents to contact their local municipality if they are experiencing flooding or require sandbags, sand or to volunteer. Local Municipalities are working diligently at providing sandbags and sand to residents that require them as a means of protecting homes and businesses. As of today, five lower-tier municipalities in the county have declared a state of emergency: Whitewater Region, Horton, McNab/Braeside, Laurentian Valley and Greater Madawaska.
The Warden stated that she knows that a lot of hard work has been done by so many to this point, but based on current information residents need to be resilient. Water levels are expected to rise as rain and runoff from the snow melt continues to feed into local rivers and lakes in the coming days.
Warden Murphy commented, “Today I have declared a state of emergency for Renfrew County, with the focus on supporting the local municipalities that are being directly impacted by the flooding here in the county. I would ask that residents continue to be diligent of the safety for themselves and those around them in these difficult times, and that residents can be assured that the County of Renfrew along with all impacted municipalities in the county are making all efforts to provide support where and when needed.”
Resident’s are encouraged to contact their Local Municipality to report flooding of roadways so that an online map can be updated quickly to reflect road closures. The mapping tool is called “Municipal511”, and can be found online at www.municipal511.ca
Residents can access the Renfrew County Flood Impact & Recovery document located at:
http://www.countyofrenfrew.on.ca/news-events/news/county-of-renfrew—flood-preparation-and-recovery/
The County of Renfrew will continue to post road closures and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry Flood Warnings to the County’s Face Book and Twitter Feeds, and update the local media whenever possible.
