Chelmsford residents help each other cope with flooding

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Flood fight continues in Sudbury

With water waist-deep in some areas, residents in a Chelmsford neighbourhood have come together in the last few days to help each other deal with flooding.

Natalie Lafreniere documented the efforts in and around her family’s Main Street home, posting photos and videos of people filling sandbags, operating pumps -- and even some of the lighter moments.

“We were helping neighbours on the corner of Main and Belanger and a few more down Belanger and Water Street,” Lafreniere told CTV News Northern Ontario in a Facebook message.

“Each day we have been posting photos. The water was waist-deep in our yard.”

While neighbours have been helpful, Lafreniere said, too many drivers are zooming through the floodwaters, “creating waves into our yards.”

But she said dozens of people have come together to help.

She told CTV News that in addition to the the friends and family, a local business helped with trucks and staff to fill sandbags.

“We also had a handful of random people show up at the sandbagging station to fill bags for us,” Lafreniere added.

And there have been lighter moments – they had a floating duck race and one person paddled a kayak down the road.

“Tried to find some humour in the stressful situation,” she said.

In an update Monday, Greater Sudbury said crews are still working “around the clock to mitigate the impacts of rising water.”

Some of the ways that residents can help during flooding conditions:

• Do not pump sump pump water into the sewer system. This puts additional pressure on the system and can increase the risk of sewer backups in your home and across the community.
• Stay away from flooded areas. Driving through standing water creates wakes that can worsen flooding and cause additional damage to nearby properties. It may also interfere with work being carried out by city crews as they respond to flooding impacts.

“Your actions make a difference in helping protect homes, infrastructure and emergency response efforts,” the city said.

The latest update on the situation in Greater Sudbury can be found on Conservation Sudbury’s website.