The military isn’t leaving Bracebridge until the flood disaster is over and everyone is safe.
Lieutenant Colonel Graham Walsh from the 32 Canadian Brigade Group said while some troops were sent to Ottawa to help flood efforts in the nation’s capital, 120 troops stuck around locally.
“We are not in a hurry to leave so I just want to stress that,” Walsh said. “As things begin to improve we will continue to assess with Mayor Smith and his team as to when it is appropriate [to leave]. We are here until things are getting better and we’re not needed.”
Walsh said it has been a very busy week with soldiers filling and placing sandbags but troops have started checking on residents who have been isolated by the flood. The colonel added people in the Fraserburg area, in particular, have been cut off and soldiers were going door to door to make sure they were OK.
Walsh said troops are facing the same challenges everyone else is.
“Flooded out roads are not easy to get around even for our big vehicles,” Walsh said. “The biggest challenge has been the water itself. We will build a sandbag wall and then come back and there will be leaks. So we have to come back and pump the water out. We’re just trying to save homes.”
The colonel said his crew was prepared to fight the flood but didn’t expect to see some of the devastation it has caused. He added witnessing a house collapse in on itself really put in perspective how powerful nature can be.
Walsh said even though some troops have left there is more help coming Thursday. In addition to the green 10-tonne trucks they use to transfer soldiers and sandbags, the military is bringing in a TAP-V Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle. Walsh said it can access places the bigger trucks can’t.