EMBREE, N.L. – Many Newfoundlanders may remember the effects of Hurricane Matthew, which struck the province in October 2016, but some are doing more than remembering, they’re preparing for the next one.
“The problem was we had a major rainstorm and the brook leading into the body of water there, it overflowed its banks, and that caused the pond to overflow, and the culvert was insufficient to release the water,” said Embree Mayor Harold Nippard June 13. “Basements flooded, the road got flooded, and we came very close to losing the road. We thought it prudent to get something done about it.”
The culvert being replaced runs under Route 342 at one of the main access points from Embree to Little Burnt Bay. It is the responsibility of the provincial government, and was updated and expanded by their crews this past week.
Video courtesy of Cred Spot, published Oct. 12, 2016.
Nippard said the work is part of a proactive approach on the government’s part to mitigate flooding in the future.
“Just about anybody that had a basement at that time was affected,” said acting town manager Dave Rowe. “I know myself, I needed to get a pump to get the water out of my place. A lot of people did.”
Rowe said he handed out a dozen relief applications after the 2016 incident, with four or five residents near where the culvert is being replaced among those needing help. He said one person living near the pond had about four feet of water in his basement.
“The gentleman who lives right by that pond, he’s probably thinking he’s won the lottery,” Rowe said.
Another problem spot on the same road has been identified, where it meets Allans Avenue. Rowe said the municipality hopes the Department of Transportation and Works will replace that culvert next year.
Related:
Province still working on Hurricane Matthew disaster relief claim (from March 2017)
Red Cross estimates 100 central Newfoundland homes damaged by Hurricane Matthew
