The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority predicts more flooding along Erie Shore Drive Thursday, a stretch along Lake Erie that has been battered by high water levels, strong winds, and massive flooding.
The warning is for Thursday afternoon and overnight into Friday morning.
"The winds forecasted for [Thursday] afternoon and overnight are very similar to those that caused extensive flooding along Erie Shore Drive August 27, with slightly larger waves predicted by the marine forecast, and winds coming more from the southwest as opposed to the south," read a release from the conservation authority Thursday morning.
August 26, 2019 (Photo by Allanah Wills)
"I look at the wind turbines and see which way they're pointing," said Trevor Thompson, one of three municipal councillors who represent the area. "Anything that comes from the east, all the way down to the south-southwest, at 40 to 60 kilometres per hour means you're in for a tough day. A tough day means water coming up into your house. It means watching stones the size of your head coming up onto your front lawn. It means today could finally be the day that you lose your house."
Earlier this week, emergency personnel went door-to-door asking residents to evacuate voluntarily after the municipality declared a state of emergency. Among the 40 homes in the evacuation area, residents in 30 homes did. Only the residents in ten remaining homes are staying put as the water batters homes rendering some unliveable.
"I was in one home yesterday -- and a full quarter of it has been undermined by the waves and the lake," said Thompson. "There's three feet of water underneath their homes now. When you're inside the house, the floor has given away from the wall, and you can see the waves. The whole house moves like you're on a boat."
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Meanwhile, talks between municipal officials and those in senior governments about possible disaster aid continue.
"The challenge is that we want to ensure first of all, that there won't be any immediate flooding," said Nicholls. "We're still working with the municipality to confirm the timing of the deployment of a provincial disaster assessment team."
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Thompson has been keeping a close eye on the destruction along the shoreline, visiting the area regularly and keeping in touch with residents. He says while it is easy for others to tell the residents should leave, he said that is a hard decision for the people affected.
Flooding along Erie Shore Drive in Chatham-Kent, August 27, 2019 (Photo courtesy of Jason Homewood via Twitter)
"Talking to residents, you want to save it. It's a matter of love, and it's a matter of pride," he explained. "It doesn't enter your rational thought to think this is going to take tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix."
He estimated up to 12 homes may be unliveable, but stressed it would be up to homeowners to decide to rebuild or not. However, Thompson believed the area would flood again.
