Flooding in Ottawa-Gatineau: Brigil donates $10,000

Thecountry has been hit hard by rain and weather over the last few weeks, with some areas undergoing evacuation and extensive damage. Sandbagging, property damage and dangerous conditions around waterways are strongly affecting life in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

Theflooding has resulted in the evacuation of over 500 homes in Gatineau and 75 on the Ottawa side and the region. In total, over 1,000 people to date are being tended to by the Red Cross, which has come into the flood area to help mitigate this natural disaster. In order to assist the Red Cross and the victims, the Desjardins family and Brigil are providing a cash donation of $10,000.

Ms. Marie-Krystine Longpré, assistant director of Corporate Donations of the Red Cross, on behalf of the Red Cross, thanked and commended Brigil and the Desjardins family for their generosity.

Brigil also thanks the thousands of volunteers who are supporting the victims, the Red Cross’s people, city employees, and the army soldiers who are working hard to help the people.

“Since the onset of the flooding, Canadian Red Cross teams have been present in the affected communities, working closely alongside all levels of government to coordinate response efforts across the country and assist those in need.”Conrad Sauve, president and CEO, Canadian Red Cross.

It’s incredible to see the city step into action and help fellow residents. The affected areas are dangerous and safety measures are in place to keep people out of harm’s way. The main flood locations include Cumberland, Constance Bay, Fitzroy Harbour, Dunrobin, MacLarens Landing and Britannia, according to The City of Ottawa’s latest update. Over 200,000 sandbags have been distributed. The city’s protocol is at a level just before State of Emergency measures.

In order to assist the Red Cross and the victims, the Desjardins family and Brigil are providing a cash donation of $10,000.

In Quebec, there are 25 flood areas and many have had a State of Emergency declared, including the town of Pontiac which where a mandatory evacuation order was issued. Gatineau was identified as one of the communities that suffered the worst impact of flooding.

With hopes that the flood waters have reached their maximum potential and are now receding, the next steps will be mitigating the damage and loss of residents. It will be a significant wait before it’s safe for displaced residents to return home. Without the help of the Red Cross, the army, wonderful residents volunteering and humanitarians like Brigil stepping up, the situation would be even worse.

An appeal for donations has been launched by the Red Cross to help support residents of New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia as there have been thousands displaced across the country. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing has been asked to start Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians Program to support residents of Ottawa who have been affected.

Anyone able to make a donation to The Spring Floods Appeal can contact the Red Cross online at redcross.ca, by phone, toll-free at 1-800-418-1111 and by contacting a local Canadian Red Cross office.