More than six weeks after a record-breaking rainstorm flooded thousands of homes, the City of Ottawa says requests for service have stabilized and its emergency coordination centre (ECC) is transitioning away from enhanced operations. In a memo to city council on Friday, acting general manager of Emergency and Protective Services Pierre Poirier said the transition reflects a shift from response to the July 1 storm to focus on recovery. “The City’s focus is on sustained, personalized recovery efforts delivered through established departmental programs and services, in collaboration with community partners to support residents,” Poirier wrote. Since Canada Day, Poirier says service requests related to flooding have “stabilized,” all wellness visit follow-up requests have been completed, recovery and resident support programs have been established and are running smoothly, and community partners have transitioned to long-term recovery support and case management. “The transition to monitoring operations does not signal the end of the City’s recovery efforts. The ECC has established an integrated task force to maintain situational awareness and coordinate access to recovery programs and services. The task force will support consistent, accessible, and equitable personalized support for affected residents throughout the recovery period,” said Poirier. A comprehensive review of the impacts of significant rainfall this summer is underway, Poirier said. “Staff are finalizing the statement of work, in alignment with Council’s direction, and will engage a third-party consultant to support the review,” he said. “Over the coming months, the city-wide assessment will examine flooding impacts in affected communities across the three rainfall events that have occurred to date and identify opportunities to strengthen resilience to future extreme weather events.” Canada Day by the numbers On July 1, Environment Canada recorded a total of 118.4 millimetres of rain, though some rain gauges in other parts of the city saw differing figures, which were as high as 167 mm, according to city staff. Here is a look at how many people were affected by the storm and what has been done to help: In addition, the city says the Canadian Red Cross has registered 539 households and continues to provide individualized case management to 102 active cases. The Red Cross will remain available to support impacted residents in the coming months, as issues may arise. Poirier said information about available supports and resources continues to be available on the City’s Extreme Weather Event page. Residents requiring additional assistance can call 3-1-1 or complete the online service request form. “I would like to thank Members of Council for your partnership throughout the City’s emergency response and ongoing recovery efforts. Your advocacy on behalf of residents and collaboration with staff have been instrumental in supporting affected communities,” Poirier said.
