St. Catharines, Lincoln remain under states of emergency as flood recovery continues

As the Niagara Region is focusing on flood recovery, the City of St. Catharines and the Town of Lincoln remain under states of emergency.

The City of St. Catharines reports that sinkholes are beginning to appear around the city due to the recent heavy rain, with Geneva Street closed from Glenholme Drive to Guy Road for sink hole repairs.

Applications for the city’s Vulnerable Assistance Registry are open for eligible residents who require support removing water and waste from their homes. Residents can also call 905-688-5600 for intake support. 

Community Care, a charitable organization based in St. Catharines and Thorold is one of several community partners working closely with St. Catharines in the recovery efforts.

Community Care’s CEO Betty-Lou Souter says Fire Chief Dave Upper is on their board and reached out through the flood relief program in St. Catharines. He told them that there are some people in their homes that don’t have the staples they need to survive.

She says she was approached if they could be the food security arm of the city’s Flood Alleviation Program to help those who are really struggling.

“My staff came in early this morning to be here and they’re doing all kinds of things to ensure people have the ability to have something in their pantry because it’s really tough times and some of them don’t have insurance,” Souter says.

“The most important thing is the coordinated approach. We’re much stronger together. We have a much greater impact if we all work together.”

WATCH MORE: Niagara Falls launches ‘Flood Recovery Support Registry’

On Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford visited the flood-stricken Niagara Region communities, including the Town of Lincoln and near the Jordan area.

Siscoe and Ford discussed what disaster relief should look like in the province and how it needs to change. Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff was also there for this discussion and is carrying this message back to Queen’s Park.

“We need to be working with those partners because we do not have all of the capacity that we need … the province has people on the ground today. Team Rubicon is a part of Ontario Corps,” Mayor Mat Siscoe says.

“They’re going to be helping in those efforts to get to vulnerable residents to pump out basements that still need it, to get furniture and get garbage out of the basements. That’s a public health issue.”

Meanwhile in Lincoln, the town says it continues to assess the situation and coordinate with regional and provincial partners.

Ontario Corps will be deployed there for preliminary assessments with a fuller deployment expected for the weekend.

The province says the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing is actively evaluating whether the situation qualifies for the Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians Program, which would reimburse affected residents for clean-up and repair costs.

Lincoln and St. Catharines have both expanded their waste collection program. For more information visit the Niagara Region’s website.

WATCH MORE: Lincoln, Ont. declares state of emergency after historic flooding