Post-storm meeting: the collaboration between the City of Edmundston and the Province of N.B. continues
Jul 25, 2023
This Wednesday, July 26th, the Mayor of the City of Edmundston, Eric Marquis, welcomed several representatives from the province of NB to discuss the effects of the torrential rainstorm of June 29th. Among these representatives, the Honorable Kris Austin, Minister of Public Safety, the Honorable Richard Ames, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure, the Honorable Glen Savoie, Minister of Local Government, and the Honorable Francine Landry, Madawaska Les Lacs-Edmundston MLA, were present.
Mr. Jacques Doiron, Fire Safety Department Director and Emergency Measures Coordinator, and Mr. Richard Daigle, Director of Operations for the City of Edmundston first painted a portrait of the situation in terms of damages and repercussions on infrastructures, but more importantly, for citizens. They then listed the actions taken and the work carried out short term, to respond as quickly as possible to the damages caused by this storm.
On June 29th, an important amount of rain fell in a short two-hour period, which caused sewer backups and flooding in the homes of 262 citizens, mainly in the Saint-Jacques area. This torrential rain also damaged roads, cutting off traffic between the City of Edmundston and Haut-Madawaska for nearly 6 hours. “Following the storm, the level of collaboration and response from the provincial government was instant and greatly appreciated. We must now focus on the long term, so we don’t relive similar situations,” added Mayor Éric Marquis.
Among the demands of the City of Edmundston to the province of N.B., it would be necessary to:
- Study and define the capacity of the sewer system in Saint-Jacques
- Improve the temporary detour route due to the closure of Route 120
- Reactivate the permanent alternative route project between the City of Edmundston and Haut-Madawaska
- Study and identify the capacities of the watershed and the state of drainage infrastructures of Guerrette Brook, and
- Rebuild the sewer system and improve the drainage of Deux-Milles Brook
A visit of the most affected areas followed the meeting so that elected officials and provincial representatives could understand the seriousness of the situation and the importance of acting quickly. This, not only for the safety of the citizens of the City of Edmundston, but also for those of the greater Madawaska region.
A press briefing followed at 2:30 p.m. in front of City Hall.
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CONTACT: Eric Marquis, Mayor of the City of Edmundston, 506.739.2115
