New Brunswickers begin flood cleanup, province assesses road damage

The province’s Emergency Measures Organization says water levels along the St. John River basin will continue to decrease over the weekend.

Route 105 in Maugerville in now open to non-residents.

Resident Marcus Harvey said it will be at least a week until he can go down into his flooded basement without having to wear hip-waders.

“As the waters recede further down river and the back water recedes, that’s the issue right now, the water is off the roads and everybody is coming through that’s not from here and they’re like, ‘Great, the flood’s over,’ but it’s not over,” Harvey said.

Harvey said his sump pump drains the basement within three hours, but the water just comes back the next day

“Once the water is out of the basements, you have to get them cleaned; you have to get special biological cleaners to get rid of the flood waters because when it comes over the roads it brings with it all the contaminates from fields… and it’s a ecological hazard, so it has be cleaned up and there’s a cost for that,” Harvey said.

He said it will likely cost him several hundred dollars to get his basement back to normal

Debris also remains along many parts of the highway, and Route 690 is closed at McGowans Corner.

In an email statement from the province’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, director of communications Tanya Greer said the department “continues to assess road conditions as flood waters recede and will be determining any potential repairs.”

Greer said that with water levels starting to subside, there will be some debris cleanup required before the department can determine what work needs to be done.

Dwayne Sabine, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Energy and Resource Development, told Global News on Friday that a moose calf died in the Jemseg area as a result of stress from motorists stopping to take photos. 

He said the province wants to remind drivers to proceed slowly if they see moose and leave any wildlife alone. Sabine said this time of year moose are most vulnerable and are already stressed from having to flee to higher ground as a result of flooding.