Homes on Pine St. remain vacant after devastating floods (credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

Merritt Flood Recovery

With hundreds of residents still displaced, Merritt awaits recovery funding

Apr 8, 2022 | 4:26 PM

MERRITT, B.C. — On November 14, flood waters breached the banks of the Coldwater River, forcing the community to evacuate. What followed in the weeks to come were promises for provincial and federal governments to help Merritt rebuild.

Even just three weeks ago, Minister Bill Blair spoke to the need for urgency in the rebuild.

“At the heart of all of our work is the individual Canadians who have been impacted by this. The opportunity to see the change this has brought to their lives, the struggles they are still going through, I think this adds urgency to the work that we do collectively,” stated Blair on a March 13 visit to Merritt.

Now nearly five months since the floods and four months since the provincial and federal governments promised $5 billion in flood relief, the City of Merritt is still waiting for assurance those funds are coming.

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“I won’t let myself believe that we have been forgotten,” said Mayor Linda Brown. “I will continue to remind ministers that we are still here and we are still waiting.”

“This is the problem with this government. They promise, hand on heart, when there is a pressing need, and then they defer and defer and defer. And it’s Canadians who always suffer because of it,” said Central Okanagan-Similkameen-Nicola MP Dan Albas.

While the list of projects awaiting recovery funding in Merritt is a mile long, one issue remains head and shoulders above the rest

“Our biggest concern is housing. We are looking at this 3-D printed project, hopefully to get fast housing up so people at least have a place to call home, rather than a hotel room or somebodies couch,” said Brown.

“It’s a horrible circumstance, it’s the definition of a disaster,” added Merritt’s CAO Sean Smith. “We recognize that there are a lot of people that are still in really dire straights as we are working to put together these broader projects. I never want to lose sight of that human element, none of us do, it’s what motivates us to keep our foot on the gas.”

If the City were to receive funding tomorrow, Smith says projects would be underway in short order, but as the waiting game continues the city is working to ensure the river is reinforced and safe from future storms.

“When you look at how much the (river) bank was being undercut, then you’re bringing it back to make sure we’re going to be in a good position not only for freshet this year but for whatever the ultimate redesign of Middlesboro bridge. It’s been very important work for us, and we’re happy to see it taking place,” said Smith.

The work on the river is promising, but without Merritt residents back home, Mayor Brown’s work continues with a trip Monday (Apr. 11) to appear before the joint committee on flood response in Vancouver.

“Their stories are heartbreaking, I can’t do anything for them. I can hear their stories, and my heart breaks along with them but it’s tragic,” said Brown. “They are our refugees. They are our refugees and they’re in hotel rooms. They need better than that, they deserve better than that. We continue to fight to get that housing for them so they can return home.”