City looking for volunteers over holiday weekend to remove sandbags
Volunteers asked to attend 1 of 3 remaining meeting points for weekend shifts
The City of Ottawa is asking for residents to roll up their sleeves and help with the removal of hundreds of thousands of sandbags from residential properties over the Victoria Day weekend.
The first day of volunteering was Saturday. It was so successful in Britannia and Cumberland that volunteers will no longer be needed in those locations on Sunday.
People 16 and older are asked to attend one of three remaining meeting points Sunday through Monday to report for a shift. Volunteers will be sent to the affected areas via a shuttle bus.
The three meeting points are:
- Dunrobin (3285 Dunrobin Rd. from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
- Fitzroy Harbour (6900 Harbour St. from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
- Constance Bay (262 Len Purcell Dr. from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
The city estimates there are more than 250,000 sandbags that need to be removed from homes in the east and west ends that were affected by historic flooding earlier this month.
Volunteers will be given gloves and are asked to wear comfortable clothing, including long sleeves, pants, and boots.
The city is also offering an OC Transpo shuttle service from the Eagleson Park and Ride every two hours from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to help volunteers get to and from the West Carleton locations.