St Catharines asks province to help flood victims

(Update)

Help may be on the way for residents of St. Catharines whose homes were damaged following severe flooding back in July. Council is asking the province to declare parts of the city a disaster area.

John Halliday lost everything: “This is the actual height of the water down here.”

Two weeks ago, John Halliday awoke around 7am and nervously watched as the water level in the creek beside his home began to rise. Within minutes, the banks overflowed
flooding his yard. As the water levels rose, the pressure on the doors of his walkout basement burst open, sending a torrent inside.

John Halliday: “We had enough time to just get off the lower level and get to safety when the doors crashed through.”

Six feet of water gushed into the basement destroying everything in its path. The furnace, furniture, fixtures and walls. The final damage estimate — $100 thousand. His insurance company refuses to cover the damage because the flooding was caused by surface water and not a backed up sewer.

John: “I was pretty disappointed in that, after being a homeowner of 41-years and paying into insurance coverage with no claims — and to be told when I am facing a disaster like this that I wouldn’t have any coverage.”

On Monday John Halliday brought his case to St. Catharines City Council. He asked them to approach the province seeking funding for homeowners whose homes were devastated by recent flooding.

St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan: “Obviously, it’s heartbreaking to hear the stories and council was not only empathetic but decided to take action by declaring the area a disaster relief area.”

Today, the province contacted city council to say they would be touring the area Friday to assess the damage, something Mayor McMullan says is an encouraging sign: “I am encouraged. I mean this is a challenge for the residents, but it is a challenge we need to face or meet as a community — St. Catharines, the region and the province — and I’m pleased to see the response we’ve seen thus far.”