Submitted Media Release – Updated at 1pm, Wednesday, February 22nd
At 10:30 am the City of Brantford declared a state of emergency due to the ongoing flooding crisis impacting the neighborhoods of Holmedale, Old West Brant and Eagle Place. People in those areas are strongly urged to evacuate immediately.
The City of Brantford’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was convened as of 5:30 am this morning in response to the Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) Flood Message #5 advising of flood warnings in the floodplain in Glen Morris on the West Bank of the Grand River. Residents in Glen Morris can expect flooding similar to that experienced in June 2017.
Due to current flooding conditions and risks of further flooding throughout the day, the City’s Emergency Operations Centre issued an immediate evacuation call at 8:00 am for the following areas of the City of Brantford:
· Holmedale
· Old West Brant (surrounding Princess Anne Park and Cockshutt Park in areas encompassing Mount Pleasant Street to the River)
· Eagle Place
Evacuation Area – Submitted Media Release
See attached DETAILED MAP OF EVACUATION AREA
Those requiring shelter are encouraged to go to the:
Woodman Community Centre
491 Grey St, Brantford, ON N3S 7L7
OR
Assumption College Gynasium
257 Shellard’s Lane
Pets can be brought to the evacuation centres where they will be picked up and sheltered by the Brant SPCA.
Those requiring transportation to evacuate are encouraged to go to the following intersections where Brantford Transit buses will be available to assist people to evacuate:
· Eagle Ave and Foster St.
· Baldwin and Erie Ave
· St. Paul at Spring St.
· Sherwood at Catherine St.
· Erie Ave and Aberdeen Ave
Flood – Detour Route – Submitted Media Release
The following existing and NEW closures will remain in effect until further notice:
PRIMARY ROADS
· Gilkinson Street
· Grand River Ave (Stirling to Waterloo)
· Ballantyne Drive to Daubiny Park
· River Road & Birkett’s Lane (Erie Ave to Baldwin Ave)
· Lorne Bridge
· Veterans Memorial Parkway
FULL LIST OF ROAD CLOSURES – attached at bottom
The above referenced road closures and detour will be in effect until further notice.
BUILDINGS/TRAILS
· All City Trails along the River
· TB Costain
· Market Centre Parkade
· Childs Paradise Too daycare centre
· Eagle Place Community Centre
· 1 Sherwood Drive
· Entry to D’Aubigny Park
· Brantford Charity Casino
· Eagle Place Community Centre
· Woodman Centre for regular programming
BUS ROUTES
· Routes #5 and #6 have been suspended until further notice
· Route #1 is currently being detoured
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
-Agnes Hodge
-Bellview
-Ecole Dufferin
-Lansdown Costain
-Princess Elizabeth
-Joseph Brant Learning Centre & Education Centre
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
-Jean Vanier
Residents from the impacted areas are being asked to not return to their homes until further notice. Any resident requiring assistance with retrieval of pets or medication are asked to call the City of Brantford Contact Centre at 519-759-4150 so that appropriate services will be redirected accordingly.
Union Gas and Brantford Power are aware of the outage areas and have discontinued services to those areas affected until further notice.
The City’s provincial counterparts are fully aware of the situation and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs has offered a full host of resources and assistance as required.
The Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) will continue to monitor the situation from Emergency Command throughout the day and hourly updates will be shared on the City’s website as required at www.brantford.ca, and on the City’s primary social media accounts at:
facebook.com/CityofBrantford | @CityofBrantford
The City is very grateful for the outpouring of support from the community and neighbouring partners regarding those who would like to volunteer or make donations. City officials are currently managing the situation and will do an outreach to the public for volunteers if and when required.
WARNINGS TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE
The public is reminded to exercise extreme caution around all water bodies. Banks adjacent to rivers and creeks are very slippery at this time and, when combined with current weather conditions, pose a VERY serious hazard. Parents are encouraged to keep their children and pets away from all watercourses and off frozen water bodies, which will be extremely unsafe as a result of the warming trend.
Updated flood messages will be issued as conditions develop and updated forecast information becomes available.
PLEASE AVOID THE IMPACTED AREA. The City is receiving reports that people are making their way to the area to get a look at the intensity of the flooding. Please stay away from the impacted area so that those impacted can be safely evacuated and first responders and emergency services can get to residents in need of assistance to evacuate.
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