State of emergency extension allows council to ‘continue on with our work’

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This article was published 19/05/2011 (5234 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brandon city council voted to request an extension of the state of emergency to June 4, even as the Assiniboine River dropped 19 centimetres to 360.07 metres above sea level.

"We have folks on the North Hill still on standby evacuation and we need to be able to evacuate them in the event of an emergency," Brandon Mayor Shari Decter Hirst said. "We need to be able to commandeer hotel rooms for evacuees throughout the evacuation time period. This is another tool that allows us to fight the flood."

Even with the recent and significant water level decreases, the river remains at a one-in-100 year flood level, Brandon emergency co-ordinator Brian Kayes said.

"We request this extension … so we can continue on with our work," Kayes said during Wednesday’s special city council meeting.

"This will allow us to access easy access to the dike from any particular property we need to access. We have had great support from the community in this regard and as we move to the re-entry process (for evacuated areas) we will find the emergency powers to be of some use."

Extending the state of emergency also allows the city the ability to run programs for evacuees. Had the city allowed the emergency period to lapse on Saturday, disaster assistance could have been affected.

At that meeting, city councillors also voted to offer its taxpayers a break on penalties assessed to the late payment of taxes. Due June 30 each year, late payment of taxes usually means penalties assessed as early as July 1.

"We collect the taxes on behalf of the province, and they provide the assessments, so we don’t have the legal authority to cancel taxes," Decter Hirst said. "All we can do is give people a break if they find it difficult to pay them."

The penalty normally assessed as of July 1 is being waived for the month of July, meaning penalties would be assessed starting Aug. 1 instead.

"This gives people a month to get their finances in order, and certainly we are interested in managing the financial hardship over this period because we do recognize people are out of work and people have incurred additional expenses and we want to be as helpful as we legally can be."

While the entire city was offered the break, city treasurer Dean Hammond said those who can pay their taxes on time should do so.

"Taxes are technically due on June 30," Hammond said. "We need the money. But those who are adversely affected by the flood can have the knowledge they have some breathing room."

Work continues at the Hilton lift station, where pumps are pumping some effluent into the Assiniboine River.

"It is heavily mixed with river water and effluent is being pumped into the river," Kayes said.

Sewage that lift station is able to process is treated by the city’s east end wastewater treatment facility. However, water seeping in through submerged manholes was placing a strain on the sewer system.

Some of the aqua dams installed to provide freeboard on the dikes will be removed to relieve pressure on the clay flood protection measures.

"The river’s gone down enough that we don’t need that additional freeboard," Kayes said. "We are trying to take some of the weight off of there because there are many tons of water sitting on those dikes right now."

Those who don’t need their sandbags anymore can start to drop them off at city depots, such as a pile on Conservation Drive.

However, acting city manager Ted Snure said the sand and the bags themselves — whether they were used for flood protection or not — can be recycled for other projects.

"The product in the bags is valuable and can be used for other uses," Snure said.

"It is our intent to recover sand that is in those bags through equipment we have in the waste management facility in the east end. One resident indicated to me that he had some potholes in his driveway and was going to spread it out there. It can be used to solve those types of issues."

Snure said the materials that were in contact with flood water were safe to use.

"It shouldn’t be a problem," Snure said. "The bags can be re-used and people may want to hold on to them and use them in next year’s high water event or for other uses. Or they can turn them back in to us and we’ll make use of them."

Evacuation allowances will be re-issued by provincial officials, provided evacuees report to the Evacuation Centre at the Keystone Centre today or tomorrow between noon and 7 p.m.

Evacuees will need to bring their Emergency Services card and photo identification to register. Cheques will then be available for pickup on Saturday between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or on Sunday or Monday between 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.