A dog patrolling its nearly-flooded homestead | Mik Horvath/MBC
Local paramedics are not waiting for a second peak to help residents along the Ottawa River fight back against rising waters.
The Renfrew County Paramedic Service’s Sierra Team has been deployed to assist communities currently facing the brunt of flooding. Chief Paramedic Mike Nolan expects their support to be needed for the foreseeable future with the possibility that forecasted rain and snowmelt upstream of the Ottawa Valley could result in higher water levels than seen last week.
Paramedics will be going building-to-building with the help of the Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre to check up on residents and make sure that any underlying medical needs like primary care and prescriptions are taken care of.
Nolan says that service extends to people still in homes on roads cut off by flooding, as well as those doing what they can to protect their property.
They are also supporting the ongoing sandbagging operations happening along the river, lending out equipment to municipal staff that will help speed up the creation of vital barriers around vulnerable homes.
(written by Kasey Egan)
