Flood Details - 2018-04-27 - 2018-05-12

River Watch 2018 began on March 12th. The province’s watercourses remained relatively calm until a heavy rain event in the central and southwestern areas of the province occurred on April 16th and 17th. Combined with daytimes highs of 15°C to 20°C and nighttime lows of only 0°C, water levels began to rise. Fredericton, along with Maugerville, passed the flood stage by April 27th, with water levels of 7.85 meters and 6.17 meters, respectively. Basements started to flood, roads started to close, and people were beginning to leave their homes for drier ground. Fifty roads had already been affected by the flood waters, including a 75 kilometer stretch of Route 105 between Fredericton to Youngs Cove and Route 144 from Edmundston to Rivière-Verte. Water levels began to stabilize but remained high at around eight meters in the Fredericton region on April 29th, and attention turned to water levels further down the river in the Jemseg, Grand Lake, Sheffield-Lakeville Corner, Oak Point and Quispamsis regions. As many continued to voluntarily evacuate from their houses, the Red Cross set up shelters in the Fredericton region for those displaced by the water. Eight residents were evacuated in North Tetagouche after the water and ice from a jam on the Tetagouche River covered a section of Elliot Lane. In Middle River, those living on Mathilda Street had their road covered with four feet of water. Three people were isolated at the end of the road who did not want to leave their homes, however they were not in any danger. It was anticipated that the road to Darlings Island in Saint John would be closed at the next high tide. Provincial government offices in the downtown area of Fredericton were closed on April 30th along with several schools in the southern portions of the province. Emergency officials strongly encouraged people to minimize the use of personal vehicles in downtown Fredericton by taking public transit, which was being offered for free, using the park and ride organized by the city, using the two park and walk locations located near the downtown, walking, biking, carpooling, or working from home. Florenceville-Bristol was hit with significant flooding the last weekend in April, with water overflowing onto Route 105 at both ends of the town limits. At Riverside, south of the town, water was over the road and surrounding homes. Officials were warning the public to heed barricades and warning signs after an ATV was washed into the river near Hartland. Flooding in the Belleisle region forced the Belleisle Bay Ferry out of operation on May 1st, due to high-water levels. Service for the Evandale Ferry, between Route 102 and Route 124, was suspended the same day. All but one of the province’s river ferries stopped operating for some period during the flooding. Floodwaters forced dozens of Sheffield residents to be rescued from their homes, and the City of Saint John issued a voluntary evacuation notice on the afternoon of May 1st to residents in areas along the Saint John River in the Dominion Park, Millidgeville and South Bay areas. A press release was also issued, which included voluntary evacuation notices for Randolph, Westfield Road, those living between the Gault Road and the eastern end of Mellinger Crescent, Ragged Point Road, and those living past the François De Sales Church. The notice impacted an estimated 1,900 people. Water levels were expected to reach 5.1 meters in the area by May 2nd, almost a meter above flood stage. The northern communities of Clair, Saint-Hilaire and Edmundston were expected to surpass their respective flood stages in the following days as well. The provincial government launched a Disaster Financial Assistance program on May 2nd. The program was established to help small businesses, municipalities, and individuals who suffered property damage during the 2018 freshet. The maximum assistance for structural repairs to private residences would be $160,000 while the maximum for small businesses and not-for-profit organizations would be $500,000. Coverage would be provided to repair and clean structures and to replace necessities. It was noted that this assistance would not be eligible for recreational properties. On May 3rd at 7:00 p.m., the Trans Canada Highway between Fredericton and Moncton was closed to all traffic. Those travelling between the two cities were detoured to Route 1 through River Glade and Route 7 at Oromocto – a 90-kilometer detour. The highway re-opened to one lane of traffic on May 11th. The province enlisted the help of the Canadian Coast Guard on May 3rd. Six Department of Fisheries and Oceans boats and one Coast Guard boat were deployed in the Grand Lake area. Another patrol craft was stationed in the lower Saint John River and a Transport Canada Dash 8 aircraft would conduct surveillance over Grand Lake. Two boats were assigned to the Darlings Island area to assist residents to safely cross from the island when not assisting with evacuations or emergency support. A one-way rail shuttle was rolled out to help Westfield residents in Saint John evacuate their homes. The train made four stops along the Westfield Road rail line to pick up passengers before it travelled to the reception centre at the Carleton Community Centre. On May 5th, all roads to the Village of Chipman were closed due to flooding – Route 10, Route 123, and Route 116. A bus was set up to transport people, groceries and other supplies to and from Chipman via the railway bridge in town. Mail and newspaper services were suspended, leaving the community of just over 1,000 feeling cut off from the rest of the province. On Grand Lake, high winds sent a fully intact two storey cottage more than six kilometers across the lake, coming to a final resting place in someone’s back yard. Along the Southwest Miramichi River, a cottage was moved off its foundation by the force of the ice from the river. After steadily rising for more than a week, water levels reached historic highs in the southern regions of the province on May 6th, surpassing 2008 and even 1973 levels. Water levels in Maugerville were sitting at 7.3 meters, Jemseg reached 6.7 meters, Grand Lake hovered around 6.8 meters, and Fredericton sat at 8.15 meters. By May 6th, 488 households consisting of 1,158 people had registered with the Red Cross and 952 NB Power customers had their electrical services disconnected for safety reasons. More than 140 roads, bridges and culverts were affected by the flooding, including about 80 road closures. On May 7th, the Town of Rothesay began to urge residents to limit their toilet and water use as all the municipalities pumping stations and lagoons were underwater. This meant that the wastewater normally treated there would flow into the Kennebecasis and Saint John River systems untreated. They also asked residents to avoid using appliances with pressurized drainage, like washing machines and dishwashers. Water levels finally began to fall on the 8th of May. The New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization warned residents in flooded areas that floodwater could be heavily contaminated with sewage and pose health risks, and they should take steps to protect themselves when cleaning out their homes, such as wearing rubber boots and waterproof gloves. Special garbage pickups were being scheduled for residents to dispose of appliances, furniture, carpeting, insulation, and any other non-hazardous materials that were destroyed in the floodwaters. The Red Cross offered cleaning kits, handing out over 3,000 to residents who were able to safely re-enter their homes to begin clean-up. Fees were being waived for residents of local service districts who required development and building permits, tipping fees were waived for people taking flood-related wastes to their local landfills, and free well water testing was available. The Canadian Revenue Agency was waiving penalties for those people who were unable to deal with their finances and would be late filing their income tax. It was also announced that recreational property owners would be eligible to receive up to $6,100 from the provincial government to help clean up their properties. Over 1,100 households consisting of 2,458 people had registered with the Red Cross, and 71 people remained in temporary housing. The organization had launched a fundraising campaign early in May, gathering nearly $650,000 in donations to help flood victims. The New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization director announced health and safety inspection teams would begin to be deployed around the province to assess damage and determine what repairs were required for residents to return home. Teams were already working in northwestern New Brunswick, where floodwaters had receded. By May 12th, the only area left above flood stage was Jemseg. The Canadian Armed Forces, in support of Public Safety Canada, deployed about 60 of its members to assist the provincial government with flood cleanup.

Environment Canada rainfall totals for May 3rd and 4th: Sussex Four Corners: 39.2 mm Oak Point: 37.3 mm Woodstock: 36.2 mm Fredericton: 34.7 mm Moncton: 29.2 mm High water level (flood stage): Clair/Fort Kent: 156.55 m (156.2 m) Edmundston: 141.02 m (139.0 m) Perth Andover: 77.21 m (77.2 m) Hartland: 46.86 m (45.7 m) Fredericton: 8.36 m (6.5 m) Maugerville: 7.33 m (6.0 m) Jemseg: 6.77 m (4.3 m) Grand Lake: 6.85 m (5.0 m) Sheffield-Lakeville Corner: 7.02 m (4.8 m) Oak Point: 5.96 m (4.7 m) Quispamsis-Saint John: 5.76 m (4.2 m)

By June, it was estimated that over 12,000 properties across the province had been affected by flooding to varying degrees and more than 2,800 people had registered damages through the Disaster Financial Assistance program. Almost 2,820 health and safety inspections had been completed. Over 1,100 New Brunswick property owners received government disaster relief, for a total of $30 million. The average payout to each homeowner, small business and not-for-profit organization was $27,140. Eighty buyouts occurred, in situations where structural damage exceeded 80% of the appraised value of the property. On August 1st, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness announced $39 million in disaster recovery to New Brunswick to help respond to the losses caused by floods. The payment from the federal government would be provided through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements, provided by Public Safety Canada. More than 140 roads, bridges and culverts were affected by the flooding, including about 80 roads closures. Work to repair damages to the Trans Canada Highway would take until August 2018, when both lanes of the highway finally reopened to traffic. It is estimated that damages from the 2018 freshet were $75 million.