By CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
LA PASSE — Residents who suffered flood damage had an opportunity to meet with Red Cross volunteers in La Passe Wednesday afternoon and in Westmeath Tuesday evening.
Godfrey D’Aoust and wife Moira organized the event in La Passe.
There were just a handful of people who attended each event. He noted the meetings were set up quickly with information being provided by word-of-mouth and going door-to-door in some areas.
“The Red Cross was invited today to give us information and assist the residents who were hardest hit in this township by the flooding,” he said, adding “especially those in the Greenway Drive and Coulonge Trail areas.”
Since the flooding occurred in late April, Mr. D’Aoust noted it’s the first session for any emergency responders to come into the area to provide assistance.
While Whitewater Region township council agreed to allow staff to provide sand and sandbags, there was no further assistance, he said.
However, Mr. D’Aoust is not laying blame anywhere, as this was a situation that required help within the first 48 hours. And help didn’t arrive quickly enough because the residents were too busy trying to save their homes to call out for help, he explained.
“We missed the boat,” he said. “We needed assistance right away, when it was at the height of the flood and we didn’t receive that.
“I’m not faulting any one individual, because it was our fault as much anyone elses, whether it be the county or any other agency willing to help us out. I didn’t really know or do anything and you’re so busy dealing with the incident, that by the time you go to bed at night you’re so exhausted and you ask where’s the help, but I didn’t ask anyone for help. We didn’t know what to do.
“We have to be better prepared.”
Mr. D’Aoust contacted Jordan Durocher, the emergency management co-ordinator for Whitewater Region, who helped him get in contact with the Red Cross, who had volunteers attend the meetings in La Passe and Westmeath.
The Red Cross was providing clean-up kits, personal hygiene kits, flood recovery information for individuals affected and an opportunity to register for emergency funding.
Mr. D’Aoust is now hopeful of having the Red Cross return to host a one-hour information session on how to be prepared in any emergency situation, such as a flood, blizzard, micro-bursts, ice storms, etc. He said the information session will have to be established through Mr. Durocher.
Mr. D’Aoust believes township council and staff were not aware of just how bad the situation was because of how quickly the flooding occurred and the residents didn’t have time to contact the township.
Mr. Durocher, the township’s emergency co-ordinator, just started on the job, so was not aware of what was happening right away, he said. But now, Mr. Durocher has agreed that one thing that needs to be done is that co-ordinators need to be established in various areas of the township to keep him informed of what’s happening.
Another problem that has now come to light is how to remove the sandbags, Mr. D’Aoust said.
“There are some people in our area who have thousands of sandbags that need to be cleaned up,” he said. “Going through Jordan, we put in place, through the council and mayor, that where the sand was dropped off initially in Greenway and in other areas, we can basically put the sand bags back.
“But, we now have thousands of sandbags that need to be picked up. I’m the young senior in the group.
“We need some assistance to pick them up.”
The military has not been in the area, but they are in Quebec, Mr. D’Aoust said….why were they not invited into this area. There’s also a chance to invite students who need their community service hours to graduate to come and help, he suggested.
Mr. D’Aoust said it’s now time for the residents to be better prepared – who do we contact when something first happens.
“That’s where I think Jordan is going to be really important,” he said. “He’s new, he’s young in this job, he’s very energetic, and I think by having co-ordinators in different areas when a disaster hits, we call Jordan and we say okay, we’re out doing our job by assessing what we need to do, and talking to our neighbours, and finding out what the disaster’s all about, you get down here and help us out within that first 48 hours.
“Then he can contact the Red Cross or whoever needs to be contacted.
“We’re not going to be caught again like this without help. We’re moving forward.”
