'We're doing everything we can': Conmee Township says flood repairs will take time

The mayor of Conmee said Tuesday warmer weather is needed before repairs to roads damaged by weekend flooding can really get underway.

The township, about 40 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, declared a state of emergency on Monday due to the flooding, Mayor Kevin Holland said.

"We received significant rainfall over the weekend in the township, and that combined with the heavy snow load on the ground in the ditches and the watercourses caused some water backing up and flooding," Holland said. "It impacted our road infrastructure pretty heavily.

"We had five roads that we had to close sections of because of washouts," he said. "Most of our road inventory received varying degrees of damage as a result of the rain and the flooding."

In addition, Holland said, many residents have reported water damage in their homes due to the flooding.

While repairs are underway, Conmee has a small roads crew, and the weather will have an impact on how repairs are handled, Holland said. Luckily, the forecast calls for warmer weather starting Wednesday, with daytime highs around 5 C this week.

"We need the rising temperatures to dry out the roadbed so we can get in and do some some grading," Holland said. "Right now, with the water levels in the road any attempt is just creating mud and the mess."

"Once that dries out a bit, we will be able to do the grading in the areas where that's all we have to do," he said. "Then we can start hauling in the fill to rebuild the roads that were washed away."

Holland said the state of emergency gave the township the opportunity to tell residents it may be some time before repairs are complete.

"The main reason we declared the state of emergency is we recognize that the extent of the damage, and with the weather and the amount of snow we still have left on the ground, the repairs take longer than what they normally would. We've made the declaration to emphasize that we're in a situation here that's going to take a while, and make sure that people understood."

The state of emergency also lets Conmee call for more resources to help with cleanup and repairs.

Fort Frances cleanup ongoing

Repairs are also continuing in Fort Frances, which declared a state of emergency of its own on Saturday due to a "critical infrastructure failure" in its wastewater treatment system due to heavy rains and flooding.

Patrick Briere, the town's emergency management specialist, said in an email to CBC News that crews have pumped water out of the White Pine Lift Station, which failed during the storm and subsequent flooding.

Crews were working to remove any damaged equipment in the station and begin repairs, he said.

The municipality is also receiving reports of flood-related road damage and sinkholes, and repairs are underway.

And residents have been helping each other out as much as possible. One of them is Justin Rose, who's been using a portable sump pump to clear water out of basements, and helping to remove items damaged by the floodwaters.

"Some [basements] have three feet of water, some have a foot of water, some have six inches of water, some have barely any," Rose said Tuesday. "I'm seeing a lot of basements that are in need of work, definitely, as far as concrete, it just all needs to be redone on the outside."

Rose said he's helped out in about seven houses since the flooding began, and he's getting more and more requests as he's posted about his efforts on social media.

"I've done snow removal for the past five years, so there are people that know of me for doing odd jobs, and odd things like that, to help people."

But Rose isn't the only Fort Frances resident out helping as the town recovers from the flood.

"When there's a catastrophe like this, then it's actually really amazing to see how the community pulls together to help one another get through a time like this," he said. "I'm happy to help the people that I can."