New Brunswick announces interim flood mitigation measures for Perth-Andover region

The New Brunswick government announced a total of $2.85 million in immediate and interim flood mitigation measures for the Perth-Andover region in the western part of the province.

The measures follow the release of a mitigation study and are part of the provincial government’s plan to help the communities and residents of both the Village of Perth-Andover and Tobique First Nation to continue recovering from the 2012 flood, according to a statement.

“The measures we are announcing today are a first step in our overall mitigation plan to reduce the impact of future events – before they occur – to protect lives, property, the environment and economy,” Bruce Fitch, minister of environment and local government for New Brunswick said in a statement.

According to the government statement, work will begin this fall on the mitigation measures, which include:

• $1 million for localized flood management from specific watercourses (Tibbitts Brook and McLaughlin Brook);
• $1.45 million to stabilize the north bank of the Tobique River and the east bank of the St. John River to reduce future erosion and increase the stability of homes located on the banks;
• an initial investment of $400,000 to enhance monitoring and forecasting capacity to provide real-time flow and water level monitoring; and risk assessments of ice break-up, movement and ice jam formation;
• beginning with the 2013 season, the ice jam location map will be updated and available on the New Brunswick River Watch website;
• inundation maps specific to the Tobique First Nation and Village of Perth-Andover will provide an illustration of the areas within these communities that are potentially vulnerable; and
• further initiatives designed to increase awareness and education, emergency and land use planning will be pursued. 

Following the flood, the provincial government also processed and paid out $5 million for nearly 200 disaster financial assistance claims.