Anger grows as Chelmsford residents face extensive flood damage to their homes

Residents in Chelmsford say flooding has heavily damaged their homes and they are angry that Greater Sudbury waited so long to declare a state of emergency.

At first glance, Belanger Street in Chelmsford, Ont., looks like it has turned a corner. The water that submerged the neighbourhood just days ago has mostly receded, leaving behind a deceptive sense of calm.

But inside the homes, the reality is devastating.

“I got about $100,000 worth of damage and basement,” said Rock Chalifoux, who’s lived in the area for more than three decades.

“And, you know, like I said, we got sewage back up. We have $30,000 (in insurance coverage), and it’s not going to go very far. It’s going to cost that much just to clean it up.”

Chalifoux, who’s disabled, said it has been difficult dealing with the situation.

“I got the hydro, but I don’t have heating, no hot water,” he said.

For Kimberley Paquin, the fear is that the foundation of her home has been compromised.

“My foundation is probably gone. There’s so much sand now in my basement that there’s not a lot of support underneath my house,” Paquin said.

Her daughter has been up from Orillia to help, and her son has offered assistance.

Paquin said her husband’s basement workshop has been severely damaged.

“I have two freezers down there that are now full of food,” she said.

“One of them, it’s probably gone. What do I do? The walls, of course, the flooring — there’s so much.”

Paquin said she and several of her neighbours believe Greater Sudbury’s delay in declaring a state of emergency made a bad situation even worse.

She said a more proactive response could have mitigated the sewage backups that flooded their basements.

“If they would have continued pumping the way they were previously, it wouldn’t have filled up there and got us all backed up,” Paquin said.

“The sewage is down around the corner. There (are) other houses that were hit around the corner of our street. That’s a long area to be hit with sewage. So, can you imagine how much sewage that is?”

While neighbouring communities like Manitoulin Island and French River were quick to declare states of emergency, the City of Greater Sudbury did so on Tuesday.

Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre defended the timing, citing the city’s internal capacity.

“We have a large public works (department), so we are able to address that. That’s why we didn’t have to declare before,” Lefebvre said.

“Seeing what’s coming ... that there’ll be more flooding potentially coming our way, the team figured it was important that we have those tools available to properly address the safety of our residents.”

With water levels expected to rise in the next two weeks, some residents are hesitant to begin cleaning up out of fear of being flooded again.

“I don’t want to clean it up and start all over again,” Chalifoux said.

Residents are planning to hold a town hall meeting in the coming weeks to discuss the response and call for disaster relief assistance.

“We’re already at a loss financially. You pay taxes, you expect them to come and take care of you,” Paquin said.

CTV News contacted Greater Sudbury for a response to residents’ specific concerns regarding the sewage backup and received this response:

“The City of Greater Sudbury understands that flooding is stressful for residents, especially when it affects homes and properties.

“City crews have been working around the clock to respond to impacts across a large geographic area, with a focus on protecting critical infrastructure and minimizing impacts to residents wherever possible. This includes monitoring and managing wastewater systems, deploying equipment and sandbagging key locations to help reduce risk.

“Response efforts are prioritized based on safety, risk and operational demands, as crews continue to address flooding concerns in multiple neighbourhoods.

“The city has released multiple public service announcements with information for residents, including instructions to call 311 regarding sandbag location and availability.

“Anyone experiencing sewage backup should report it to 311 so concerns can be logged and directed to the appropriate team.”

RELATED STORIES:

• ‘Historic’ flooding prompts state of emergency declaration in Greater Sudbury
• West Nipissing under state of emergency as flooding closes highways, roads
• Flooded community near North Bay declares state of emergency
• French River issues call for volunteer assistance as flooding concerns rise
• Chelmsford residents help each other cope with flooding