CONMEE - As of 9 a.m, April 25, Mayor Kevin Holland, on behalf of the Township of Conmee, declared a state of emergency.
The recent significant rainfall, combined with the heavy snow, is still blocking drainage corridors throughout the township, resulting in damage to five roads leading into Conmee, and are considered highly hazardous to those travelling in and out of the community.
The Townships Public Works department is working to resolve the washed-out areas; however, Mayor Kevin has stated that “the number of repairs required will stress township's resources.”
Conmee’s is a relatively small community with a total population of 816. Therefore, their public work staff is limited in dealing with the situation.
Holland said the Public Works Department is attending to the significant areas of concern. Still, he feels that all they can do is make temporary fixes in the impassable areas.
"The repairs will take considerable time as the falling snow adds to the flooding, and until it subsides, repairs will be difficult to make," explains Holland.
The township has applied for disaster relief funding. Still, Holland's state of emergency declaration will open up talks with the province as they request additional aid, like staff support and assistance securing equipment and materials for repairs.
Currently, the Public Works Department is doing all they can to keep the damage from worsening, and they are reaching out to contractors in the area to assist with the repairs as soon as possible.
Luckily for the residents of Conmee, there are still can access roads in and out of the township for community members to leave and enter freely.
With that being said, Holland warns the community to avoid taking the washed-out road, asking residents and those travelling on the municipal roads to slow down and exercise extreme caution while contractors attend to the roads’ restorations.
