Makwa residents hope for help from province after weekend flood
There aren’t many dry floors or basements in Makwa at the moment after rain pummelled the community over the weekend, causing widespread flooding and prompting a state of emergency. Residents have been busy mopping up and figuring out their next steps as the rain caused water and sewage backups.
Virgil and Fran Paul are long-time residents of the village who built their house in 1975. The couple, who are nearing their 70s, said they never thought flooding would be an issue because they built their home up two feet back then. Both said the flooding didn’t become a problem until bridges were replaced by culverts in the late ’80s. Ever since then, they said flooding has been a persistent issue, though it’s never as bad as this year.
“They removed all the bridges around the village so the water can’t flow the way it’s supposed to,” Fran said. “When you’re living on pensions, we can’t just say ‘we’re going to work harder next week.’ Doesn’t work like that anymore at our age.”
The Pauls said they were thankful for the support from the village, as officials provided pump trucks to remove the sewage from their home, but they said they would like the provincial government to give them more answers and offer better solutions. Virgil said he and Fran recently received a letter from Ministry of Highways officials admitting there is a recurrent problem.