The Burlington Community Foundation has stepped up to lead the formation of the disaster relief committee.

If ODRAP funding is approved, the province will provide up to $2 for every $1 raised by the community.

Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward said she anticipates approval for provincial disaster assistance.

“If this isn’t a disaster, then nothing is,” she said.

Burlington MPP Eleanor McMahon said the province is well aware of the struggles residents are experiencing.

“This has been on the radar screen since the fourth of August,” McMahon said, adding there is not a set date at this point for a response from the province to the ODRAP request.

City council also unanimously passed a number of recommendations today in regards to Halton region, as it is the body responsible for sanitary sewage infrastructure.

Among the recommendations were that the region gives immediate priority and attention to address the sanitary sewage issues of those residents who have experienced flooding and significant property loss and damage on multiple occasions.

This includes, but is not limited to the May 13 and Aug. 4 storms this year.

Council also asked regional council to review the current level of financial assistance available as part of the region’s Basement Flooding Prevention Subsidy Program.

In relation, city staff was instructed to expedite any local approval processes and waive any connected fees.

There was also solid support around the table for city staff to look into the possibility of establishing a program to assist homeowners with the cost of building permit fees under the city’s building permit bylaw. A report is expected back at the Development and Infrastructure Committee meeting on Sept. 8.

Three residents delegated to council today, sharing stories of the physical, emotional and financial toll.

Joanne Karaiskakis, who has lived in her Bridle Wood home for 17 years, experienced sewage backup in her home for the fourth time on Aug. 4.

She had recently finished repairs and renovations in her basement from sewage backup caused by the May 13 storm.

“I now have two levels of my home that are unlivable,” she said, noting some of her neighbours are worse off and that a solution needs to be found for homes that flood regularly.

“My husband and I will get over this. Financially, it has taken us to the brink and we’re going to have some difficulties coming back from this.”

Michelle Perrone-Bonavita, a neighbouring Bridle Wood resident, says she considers her basement a sewage backup container for the region. She says this is a problem that should have been addressed a long time ago.

“Under no circumstances on a regular basis should my neighbour's waste end up in my basement,” said Perrone-Bonavita, who has lived in her home for nine years. “That is public waste. It’s entering our private property…. Not only do we experience rain events, we are experiencing sewage backup events.”

Maui Groff, who has called Meadowhill Road home for 3 ½ years, said she and her husband experienced sewage backup in their home for the first time on May 13.

They were still dealing with the aftermath, including doing laundry at a neighbour’s house, when the basement filled with four feet of sewage on Aug. 4.

“My husband and I, we are a young couple, we live in an older neighbourhood, we absolutely love living in Burlington, but right now we feel stuck,” she said. “There’s nowhere for me to go. I can’t even sell my house if I wanted to.”

The three delegates presented a list of recommendations to the region and city that came out of a neighbourhood meeting of 45 residents last Sunday.

The list, which was added to the recommendations for the region, included a number of demands, such as determining if certain areas are deemed sewage backup/flood risks; an immediate, comprehensive study of city-wide water flow and infrastructure flaws, including the need for repairs; regular monitoring, assessment, repair and servicing of sanitation sewers and lines, and asking health officials to inform residents of the health and safety precautions in the incident of a sewage backup.

Scott Stewart, acting city manager and general manager of infrastructure and development, said the fact that almost 200 millimetres of water came down in a matter of hours meant that no infrastructure improvements could have prevented all homes from flooding.

He noted any possible flood and sewage backup prevention measures will require a holistic approach between the city, region and Conservation Halton.

Mayor Rick Goldring said discussions around the inadequacy of the insurance system will be raised during an Association of Municipalities Ontario meeting next week.

Anyone wishing to donate to Burlington Flood Relief Fund can do so online at http://www.uwaybh.ca, by calling 905-635-3138, emailing uway@uwaybh.ca or by visiting in person at 3425 Harvester Rd., Unit 107.

Samaritan’s Purse arrived in Burlington this week to co-ordinate volunteers to help residents with their cleanup efforts. They are looking for volunteers and can be reached at 905-592-1874.

The Burlington Professional Firefighters Association is registering volunteers online at www.iaff1552.org.

For city and region updates and information on the flood, including a new message board to allow residents to post messages if they have items, such as furniture, gently used clothes, non-perishable food and helpful services to donate to flood victims, visit www.burlington.ca/flood.

Residents can also access www.halton.ca/flood.

Previously unreported home flood damage, regardless of severity, caused by last Monday’s storm should be reported by calling 311.