The residents of Roche Percee are beginning to get an idea of just how devastating this June's floods were and the picture is not a pretty one.
Roche Percee Mayor Reg Jahn said they learned recently that 36 of the 42 homes flooded in June have been recommended for destruction by provincial government officials.
Remarkably, Jahn said he thought the number might be even higher, a testament to just how devastating the flood was.
"I thought it would be 38 homes," Jahn said in an interview with The Mercury Monday. "A little bit better than half (of the homes in the village) are slated to be destroyed."
Although many in the village had been expecting the worst, Jahn said the news is hitting some residents hard. Others are managing to stay positive.
"I think the older you are the harder it is maybe. It's a little bit late in life for some to be starting all over again," he said. "But one of the assessors said he was really surprised at the attitudes of Roche Percee residents.
They've accepted the fact and are fairly upbeat for what everybody has been through. When you think about it, for 10 weeks we were under siege and for two weeks we were underwater."
Now that they have an idea of how much damage was caused, Jahn said the focus will shift to ensuring those people who lost their homes have a place to stay.
Officials from the village and RM of Coalfields had what Jahn described as a very productive meeting Sunday and have begun to formulate a plan for the future. He added they are looking at land in the village to build a temporary subdivision while the rebuilding efforts are ongoing. As well, with Fall just around the corner they don't have a lot of time to get their work done.
"We went to church first and prayed and then we went to work. We developed some pretty good plans. We have basically eight weeks to get this plan up and running not just have a plan but get it up and running. People can't face this cold winter coming up without adequate shelter and protection."
Jahn noted that Monday officials from the RM and village were calling those who lost their homes to find out who had found a place to live and who is in need of temporary lodging. They will then take those numbers to the Ministry of Municipal affairs who Jahn said are handling the job of finding housing.
"If we need 20 homes then we have to develop those 20 homes," he said. "What may work for some people may not work for others. In the RM, some of those people have horses so they would have to be boarded some place close.
"People in town, if you're a single person, you need something around 600 square feet but if you're a married person with kids, you need at least a three bedroom house and something around 1,500 square feet. And some people have pets and in this day and age pets are part of your family and the housing needs to reflect that."
Jahn noted that Municipal Affairs have been looking at mobile homes, modular homes and Ready to Move homes to house Roche Percee residents but a final decision will likely depend on availability.
"They have been all over Canada to look at what would be the proper housing and how it should be set up. All those things you don't think about like how should they be heated, should the sewer and water lines be above ground or below ground. There is a lot of thought that is going into that and Municipal Affairs has really stepped forward helping us go in the right direction."i
Although finding accommodations for residents is their focus, Jahn said they are also taking care of any infrastructure issues that need to be handled.
"The dikes will have to be repaired the engineering that has to be done for that. Also, water and sewage, it is up and running now but repairs have to be made. The road west out of town is still closed and we have to look at rebuilding that. It is a part of the dike so it has to be done to today's standards."
The residents of Roche Percee are beginning to get an idea of just how devastating this June's floods were and the picture is not a pretty one.
Roche Percee Mayor Reg Jahn said they learned recently that 36 of the 42 homes flooded in June have been recommended for destruction by provincial government officials.
Remarkably, Jahn said he thought the number might be even higher, a testament to just how devastating the flood was.
"I thought it would be 38 homes," Jahn said in an interview with The Mercury Monday. "A little bit better than half (of the homes in the village) are slated to be destroyed."
Although many in the village had been expecting the worst, Jahn said the news is hitting some residents hard. Others are managing to stay positive.
"I think the older you are the harder it is maybe. It's a little bit late in life for some to be starting all over again," he said. "But one of the assessors said he was really surprised at the attitudes of Roche Percee residents.
They've accepted the fact and are fairly upbeat for what everybody has been through. When you think about it, for 10 weeks we were under siege and for two weeks we were underwater."
Now that they have an idea of how much damage was caused, Jahn said the focus will shift to ensuring those people who lost their homes have a place to stay.
Officials from the village and RM of Coalfields had what Jahn described as a very productive meeting Sunday and have begun to formulate a plan for the future. He added they are looking at land in the village to build a temporary subdivision while the rebuilding efforts are ongoing. As well, with Fall just around the corner they don't have a lot of time to get their work done.
"We went to church first and prayed and then we went to work. We developed some pretty good plans. We have basically eight weeks to get this plan up and running not just have a plan but get it up and running. People can't face this cold winter coming up without adequate shelter and protection."
Jahn noted that Monday officials from the RM and village were calling those who lost their homes to find out who had found a place to live and who is in need of temporary lodging. They will then take those numbers to the Ministry of Municipal affairs who Jahn said, are handling the job of finding housing.
"If we need 20 homes then we have to develop those 20 homes," he said. "What may work for some people may not work for others. In the RM, some of those people have horses so they would have to be boarded some place close.
"People in town, if you're a single person, you need something around 600 square feet but if you're a married person with kids, you need at least a three bedroom house and something around 1,500 square feet. And some people have pets and in this day and age pets are part of your family and the housing needs to reflect that."
Jahn noted that Municipal Affairs have been looking at mobile homes, modular homes and Ready to Move homes to house Roche Percee residents but a final decision will likely depend on availability.
"They have been all over Canada to look at what would be the proper housing and how it should be set up. All those things you don't think about like how should they be heated, should the sewer and water lines be above ground or below ground. There is a lot of thought that is going into that and Municipal Affairs has really stepped forward helping us go in the right direction."
Although finding accommodations for residents is their focus, Jahn said they are also taking care of any infrastructure issues that need to be handled.
"The dikes will have to be repaired the engineering that has to be done for that. Also, water and sewage, it is up and running now but repairs have to be made. The road west out of town is still closed and we have to look at rebuilding that. It is a part of the dike so it has to be done to today's standards."
