Municipal leaders in the Ottawa Valley dedicated their weekend to assisting their communities in combating rising water levels.
Horton Mayor Daina Proctor joined fellow volunteers at her township’s public works garage, preparing sandbags as residents keep their properties safe against spring flooding on the Ottawa River, something she’s hopeful the region saw the worst of for the year on Sunday.
The process was made easier this year thanks to a new sandbagging machine bought with emergency preparedness funding procured by Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke MPP Bill Denault, taking hours of shovelling out of the equation for the group helping protect vulnerable homes and cottages.
Proctor adds that residents who need sandbags can find them at their Johnston Road garage, which will be open daily from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm.
Water levels along the Ottawa River are tracked and forecasted regularly by the Ottawa River Regulation Planning Board, and anyone concerned with flooding in their community should check with their local municipality for recommendations and preventative measures.
(written by Kasey Egan)
