Earlier this week, the MRCA’s David Vallier says there were concerns about the Porcupine Lake’s water levels being so close to residential homes, but with no rain over the past few days, flood fears are gone.

He adds, The MRCA has “stage call- out” so if the Porcupine Lake gets to a certain level, they will begin calling any and all residents who live in affected areas.

Vallier says water levels from the spring melt are higher for this time of year, but the weather has been cooperating to balance that out

The Water Condition Statement that was recently released, he says, was “more so for Town Creek and the Porcupine area” as
opposed to the Mattagami River

With the MRCA’s next meeting scheduled for Monday, Vallier says they will keep a close eye on water levels over the weekend – especially if the weather conditions change or we get more rain

This time of the year, he says the MRCA, MNRF and OPG meet on almost a daily basis

 Do you have an emergency flood plan? 



When heavy rainfall is expected, you can prepare for the storm by following these steps
1. Call The MRCA or Flood Advisory Committee to find out if your home is located in an area prone to flash-floods or landslides.

2. Familiarize yourself with Timmins’ emergency plans, warning signals, evacuation routes and emergency shelter locations

3. Spend a few hours with your family planning and practicing a flood evacuation route with your family, so it becomes second nature and you all know exactly what to do if the situation ever arises where you need to leave your home

4. Ask a relative who lives in another city or province to be the go-to “family contact” just in case your family is separated during a severe flood. It’s important to make sure that everyone in your family memorizes their name, address and phone number of the family contact.

5. At every telephone in your home, post emergency phone numbers or keep them saved in a cell phone

6. If someone in your family requires extra assistance because they have special needs example (elderly, person with a disability, bedridden people etc)

7. Find potential hazards inside your home and understand how to secure and protect them before a flood strikes.
Before evacuating, it’s important to turn off electrical power  – especially when there is standing water or fallen power lines fallen power lines. Turning off gas and water supplies is also crucial to complete before leaving your home. Any building materials that are structurally unstable must be secured

8. Equip your home with a fire extinguisher and make sure everyone in the family knows where it is and how to use  it

9. Purchase and install sump pumps with back-up power

10. Hire licensed electrician to raise switches, sockets, circuit breakers and wiring. It’s important to have those elevated at least 12″ above your home’s projected flood elevation

11. For toilets, drains, sewer connections – Install backflow valves or plugs to prevent flood waters from entering

12. Anchor any fuel tanks because an unanchored tank outside could potentially be swept downstream, damaging other homes

13. Gather emergency supplies and stay tuned to radio and television updates

14. Turn off all utilities at the main power switch and close the main gas valve before evacuating

For full details visit http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/floods/readiness.asp