At the Canadian Red Cross, our disaster teams in Ontario have been working in communities across the province helping those affected by severe flooding over the last week. At the start of this emergency, Red Cross disaster responders were there to open evacuation/reception centres, to make sure people had lodging, food and water when floods forced them from their homes. I met one of those evacuees over the weekend after he had returned to his house.
I was working with a team of Red Crossers going door to door to check on neighbours to make sure those affected by floods are safe and well, and to distribute clean-up kits as needed. More than 80 volunteers spanned across Kawartha Lakes and Ramara checked in on more than 800 homes.
At one house I visited in Black River, Ron told us that he and his wife were forced to leave Sunday in a boat because their house was flooded with more than three feet of water. He thanked the Red Cross for being there for them when they evacuated.
His neighbour, Angelo, greeted the Red Cross with tears in his eyes. It’s been a difficult time for him and his wife. The 70-year-old had been in the hospital for an operation and finally returned home the day the flooding began. He woke his wife up at 1 a.m. last Saturday and told her they needed to leave.
When the water receded a few days later and he could finally access his property again, Angelo could see that his family lost everything. The fridge and freezer were overturned with food spilling out and spoiling. Beds, couches and almost all furniture had been completely immersed in water. And then there were the sentimental valuables; the photos he tried to save by putting them high on top of furniture before he left, only to find the furniture over-turned and his family photos destroyed.
Angelo has lived in this home for 26 years. A dirt road separates his property from the river. Aware of the potential for flood, his house was built five feet off the ground. During this recent flooding, waters were at least eight feet high.
Angelo thanked the Red Cross for helping him. “I want people to know this isn’t just a flood. This is a disaster,” he said. “I’ve lost everything.”