February flooding of the Annapolis River, shown here creeping toward Bridge Street between Kingston and Greenwood, and Fales River is being considered for federal emergeny relief funding.
File
Building a flood campaign
Kingston/ Greenwood residents affected by overflowing rivers pooling damages for federal plea for help
BY NANCY KELLY
Kings County Register
Municipal and provincial government representatives are spearheading a campaign to help Kingston/ Greenwood residents get federal compensation for damage from flooding following the heavy rains of February 18 and 19.
Kings County Councillor Diana Brothers and Leo Glavine, MLA for the area, are encouraging residents in the two villages to contact their respective village offices with details about flood-related damage to their homes and property.
Glavine says there is a federal fund in place for people whose properties are negatively affected by natural disasters - such as floods. A minimum of $900,000 in damages is required to kick-start the relief program.
Glavine says water damage following the mid-February rains were documented by a Kings County EMO official, called in to review the flooding.
“We are now trying to attach a dollar figure to the total damage and researching the framework of the federal fund. In particular, we want to understand whether the affected communities can pool their damages and apply as one to the fund, or if the funding applies on a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood basis.”
Some of the heaviest flooding occurred in Greenwood’s Fales River subdivision after the Annapolis and Fales rivers overflowed. Brothers says homeowners, many of whom are just recovering from devastating floods several years ago, have no insurance.
“These people need immediate financial assistance, and also some assurances that the problems that cause the repeated flooding are going to be rectified.”
Property values in the area have dropped significantly because of the threat of localized flooding.
Brothers, who wants to see a river levee built to help contain flood waters, took several Fales River residents to the Berwick Lions’ Hall February 29 after learning Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was going to be making a stop in the Valley.
“I understood there was going to be an open town hall forum and figured it would be a perfect opportunity to present our situation to the minister,” says Brothers.
The Greenwood group brought along a letter signed by close to 40 homeowners requesting financial intervention from the federal government. Brothers says they were encouraged Flaherty not only personally accepted their documentation, but he also joined the group for a 15-minute discussion.
“We had no expectation that would happen,” says Brothers, reporting Flaherty asked for the history of the flooding issue and specifics of what would be needed to fix the problem.
“Now we wait for some kind of official response, but at least the concerns of these people have been heard.”
Glavine is planning to bring together officials from Kings County and the provincial Departments of Environment and Natural Resources to look at some short and long-term solutions.
“A levee is one option, but we also need to look at cleaning up low-lying areas that are currently littered with dead wood and other materials.”
He is planning to host a public meeting, hopefully at the end of March, where the flooding problem and information about the potential for assistance will be discussed. In the meantime, he reminds area residents to drop off their flood-related documentation to the village offices in Kingston and Greenwood.
