SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 50 ISSUE 26
DRAYTON, ONTARIO
1 Year GIC - 2.55% 3 Year GIC - 2.80% 5 Year GIC - 3.00% Daily Interest 0.90%
638-3328
FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2017
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Flooding of historic proportions hits Mapleton By Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – As flooding of historic proportions filled basements of local homes and businesses with water, residents, emergency responders, pubic employees and volunteers all worked together to turn the tide. “On Friday I never heard a negative comment from anyone. It was all just, ‘What can we do? How can we help.’ It was amazing,� said Mayor Neil Driscoll on June 26, as he prepared to meet with provincial officials about the disaster that struck the community on June 23. In the wake of massive flooding in the region, Mapleton and neighbouring Minto each declared a state of emergency and opened evacuation centres. Driscoll declared the emergency at 11:15am on June 23 and announced the PMD Arena in Drayton had been set up as the township’s evacuation centre. Emergency crews began warning residents and business owners in Drayton that flooding was still imminent in some areas. Mapleton and Minto were the two hardest hit areas, as various communities within the region experienced between 40 and 130mm of rain early on Friday morning, causing extensive flood-
Under water - This aerial view shows the impact of weekend flooding on the village of Drayton. Photo by Matt Fisher ing throughout Wellington County and beyond. Data from the Grand River Conservation Authority indicates just over 88mm of rain fell in Mapleton between Thursday night and Friday morning. Driscoll said the first sign of trouble came around 3:30am on Friday as the high water limit was reached at the sewage pumping station in Drayton. Officials from the Ontario Clean Water Agency, which manges the system, notified township officials to begin
taking measures to avoid sewage contamination in the water system. “I was leaving for a meeting at 5:30 in the morning and I saw the Moorefield river,� said Driscoll, who immediately called CAO Brad McRoberts to advise him “I think we need to get our emergency centre going.� Driscoll said at the height of the flood, the old Drayton arena was filled with 37 inches of water. “It’s the highest that we’ve ever had water in Drayton that we know of, or that the
fair board knows of, because they apparently mark it on the wall,� said Driscoll. In Minto, Mayor George Bridge said on June 23 conservation authority officials indicated water levels were approaching 100-year flood levels not seen in Harriston since Hurricane Hazel in 1954. As soon as Mapleton Fire Chief Rick Richardson got word basements were starting to flood, Driscoll continued, “the Moorefield and the Drayton fire departments got their pumps out and started
Pitching in - Volunteers from Christian Aid Ministries brought pumping equipment to help Drayton residents in the wake of massive local flooding on June 23. Photo by Caroline Sealey pumping the basements they knew would be bad just from history.� At the same time, firefighters began evacuating residents from high risk areas. “Luckily they were prepared for that because we had that flood meeting back in the spring,� Driscoll noted. In addition to the efforts of firefighters and township public works employees, volunteers from Christian Aid Ministries arrived with a trailer carrying sump pumps, hoses and gasoline
for generators. Other volunteers showed up to help where they could. “A farmer came in with two sump pumps and he said to me, ‘Where should I go?’â€? said Driscoll. “I told him, ‘Honestly I suggest you just walk down the street and you’ll find someone who needs one.’â€? Multiple roads were closed in Minto and Mapleton, with officials closing nearly all access to Harriston and asking travellers to avoid the town for safety reasons at the SEE FLOOD Âť 3
Couple create quilted Canada 150th tribute By Caroline Sealey
Hands on - Alice Rudy of Hesson was fascinated with the horns on a baby goat at Breakfast on the Farm on June 24 at Dirksen Holsteins near Alma. Holding Alice is her father Corey Rudy. Supervising the goat pen was Fergus Fall Fair volunteer Rebecca Kooiman. Photo by Caroline Sealey
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PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEADMEN TELL NO TALES
Friday and Saturday 8pm & Sunday 7pm RATED PG AND 129 MINUTES
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DRAYTON - A local couple recently completed a personal tribute to Canada’s 150th birthday. On July 1, Peter and Christine Oosterveld will display their contribution to the celebration. As Christine’s hobby is quilting, she thought a quilt with a Canadian theme would be an appropriate project. “I came from the Netherlands to Ontario in 1951 and settled in Harriston. My husband and I have lived in Drayton for 52 years. This quilt is my tribute to the celebrations on Canada Day,â€? Christine said. Peter’s role in the tribute involved making a trip to the arena to find a couple of hockey sticks that were no longer usable. He braced two sticks together and mounted a Canada flag on the end. SEE CANADA QUILTÂť 3
WEEKLY WAG
“The hurricane flooded me out of a lot of memorabilia, but it can’t flood out the memories.� - Tom Dempsey
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Canada Day tribute - Drayton residents Christine and Peter Oosterveld will have their quilted tribute to Canada’s 150th birthday on display on July 1 during Canada Day celebrations in Drayton. Photo by Caroline Sealey
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