The City of Ottawa's emergency manager says his team was not contacted when it should have been called in to help deal with flash floods in the city's west end.
John Ash said it's protocol to contact the city's emergency team, depending on the severity of the situation.
"Whether it's number of households, areas impacted, wherever it may be, it would escalate to the various branches and departments, and certainly our office would be contacted at that point," Ash told CTV Ottawa on Thursday.
"The details of why certain things didn't happen, I don't want to answer that because I don't have the specific information," he said.
So far, residents from about 800 homes in Kanata, West Carleton and Stittsville have reported flooding problems, inundating the city's 3-1-1 hotline. The number of homes affected is expected to jump to 1,000.
On Wednesday, city officials admitted they were too slow responding to the floods because they didn't immediately realize the magnitude of the situation and how many people it affected.
However, an admission is not enough for some residents. Many are frustrated by the lack of response and said they're worried they might find themselves in a similar situation again.
"They say they have the emergency plan. Then where is it?" said Glen Cairn resident Zoe Paterson.
"We obviously can't do anything to protect our house again. So I'm scared every time it rains," added Janet Costabile, who found herself up to her knees in water following Friday's flash floods.
Councillors in the area are also demanding answers, asking how it could take days for some residence to receive assistance.
"Somebody failed to turn the switch. No. Am I happy about this? No. I want to know exactly what happened and why it happened," said Coun. Eli El-Chantiry, who represents West Carleton-March.
"I am very disappointed in terms of why it took so long and I want to get to the bottom of this, one way or another," added Coun. Shad Qadri, who is responsible for Stittsville-Kanata West.
Acting Mayor Doug Thompson told reporters on Wednesday that he wouldn't say the city "dropped the ball" in terms of dealing with the situation, but he did admit the proper procedures weren't followed.
Even though Qadri said he was not satisfied with the city's late response, he still came to the defence of the acting mayor in regards to how he dealt with the situation.
"He couldn't get out until Monday because I guess prior commitments . . . but he was there the minute he was informed," Qadri told CTV Ottawa on Thursday.
"And as he said, he wasn't aware of the magnitude of the problem and that's why on Monday he reacted very quickly and very efficiently."
Qadri said it was difficult to assess the severity of the situation. He said even though he toured his own ward immediately after the floods, he wasn't aware of the damage to other areas.
"Even though I was travelling in the community, I personally, I didn't understand quite the magnitude that other areas in the city were being affected, (for example) Glen Cairn," Qadri told CTV Ottawa.
City staff will be on hand at a public meeting for affected residents at the Old Stittsville Arena on Thursday from 7-9 p.m. Staff will be available to hand out information and answer questions about the situation.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's John Hua
