The Township of Conmee has declared a state of emergency as flooding causes significant damage to its roadways that Mayor Kevin Holland says will take weeks to address.
Road crews closed sections of numerous roads due to washouts on Sunday, he said, though as of Monday evening no residents had been cut off entirely without road access.
Maxwell Road remained closed between Holland and Hunt, while Holland Road East was closed just west of Torrie Road.
“Every one of our roads has been impacted to some degree,” Holland said.
The extent of damage left by the weekend’s thunderstorm was exacerbated by the significant snow load still in the area, and the ground remaining frozen, which left the water nowhere to go, he said.
The damage is significant, though not the worst he’s seen – the township faced $2.4 million in repairs to roads and other infrastructure after a 2012 flood.
“The amount of repairs required and the cost associated with the repairs will stress township resources,” the township said in a release Monday.
The declaration of emergency was intended primarily to help the township access additional help from the province, like staff support and assistance securing equipment and materials for repairs, Holland said.
The township will also apply for disaster relief funding.
Repairing the damage is expected to be a lengthy process, and can’t begin in earnest until water stops flowing, the township indicated.
“It’s going to take weeks, for sure,” Holland said.
He said he hopes people will be patient and drive with extra caution in the meantime.
