City ends state of emergency declaration but continues with focus on recovery from flooding

Mayor Mat Siscoe has ended the State of Emergency declared in response to the significant flooding that impacted St. Catharines following extraordinary rainfall in late July and early August.

Ending the State of Emergency does not mean flood recovery is over. Residents continue to deal with damage to their homes, cleanup, insurance claims and the impacts of the flooding. The City also continues to assess and repair damage to municipal infrastructure, support affected residents and advocate for provincial and federal recovery funding. The decision to terminate the State of Emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act was made as immediate emergency conditions have stabilized and the City continues its transition from emergency response to ongoing recovery.

The State of Emergency was declared on Aug. 3 following the second significant rainfall event in less than a week, and the third over 12 days. More than 100 millimetres of rain fell across much of St. Catharines during the Aug. 2 and 3 storm, following rainfall totals of up to approximately 138 millimetres during the July 27 and 28 event. With already saturated ground from an earlier storm and heavy rainfall on July 21, some areas of the city received more than a foot of rain between July 21 and August 2.

The storms overwhelmed the City’s infrastructure, including roads and sewer / stormwater infrastructure and resulted in flooding that affected residents and neighbourhoods across St. Catharines, damaged municipal facilities and infrastructure, and required a coordinated response involving City staff, emergency services, other levels of government and community recovery partners.

Since the declaration, the City has introduced a number of extraordinary measures to respond to immediate community needs, including enhanced flood waste collection, the Vulnerable Assistance Registry, additional resources to assist residents with cleanup and connections to community recovery organizations. As immediate needs have declined, these temporary supports have transitioned to community partners or ended, while others – such as the Emergency Flood Alleviation Program (FLAP) continue to try and support residents in making their properties more resilient to future flooding.

“Our recovery is not over” said Mayor Mat Siscoe. “Many residents are still dealing with significant damage to their homes and the difficult work that comes with recovering from a flood. Ending the State of Emergency is an important milestone, but we will continue to support our community, work with our partners and advocate for the resources St. Catharines needs to recover and become more resilient.”

The City also continues to pursue support from the provincial and federal governments for flood recovery, flood alleviation and longer-term storm and sanitary infrastructure needs. They have been meeting with provincials since July 28, and the flooding was a key topic with provincial leaders during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference earlier this month.

The City would like to extend its thanks to community organizations, businesses, first responders, City employees, government partners and residents who have shown some level of support throughout the response. From helping residents clean out their homes and remove flood-damaged materials, to donating supplies, providing equipment and resources, supporting vulnerable residents and helping neighbours, the response has been a community-wide effort.

“The response to these storms has required an extraordinary effort across our community and our organization,” said Deputy CAO Erin O’Hoski. “While conditions have stabilized enough to end the State of Emergency, our work continues. Staff remain focused on supporting our residents, addressing any affected City infrastructure and services, and advancing the longer-term work that will help St. Catharines prepare for future extreme weather.”

The City will continue to provide flood recovery information and updates as new information becomes available on our website.