Most of the soldiers who came to help Bracebridge deal with flooding have already left and the remaining troops are planning to head to Ottawa later on Monday.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Graham Walsh, all but 30 soldiers left the Muskoka area Saturday to help flood efforts in Ottawa. He said last weeks rain didn’t raise water levels and now it is a matter of recovery for the community.
“Given the incredible turnout of volunteers from the community it made the management of the crisis much easier,” Walsh said. “We are getting into mitigation which extends beyond our mandates. Things like cleanup are beyond what we typically provide.”
Walsh added just because troops are going to Ottawa doesn’t mean things are any worse there. He said the people of Bracebridge dealt with just as bad a situation as Ottawa is currently experiencing.
The big difference he noticed is how the people of both communities responded.
“You guys are a very tight community, very close-knit,” Walsh said. “The community coming together to not only support those affected but to support us was incredible. It is something that hasn’t been matched. The people of Ottawa are very appreciative for our help but nothing compared to the tight-knit community we became a part of in Bracebridge.”
Walsh said he and a few other soldiers plan to come back to Bracebridge in June to attend a council meeting and make a presentation to the town.