Ottawa residents in storm-hit communities supporting each other
As many residents in Ottawa have been left with no power, they have not been left without hope. Residents in the hardest hit areas have been helping each get through the aftermath of the devastating storm.
No more so than in the Pine Glen neighbourhood, just off MacFarlane Road near Merivale Road.
“It has been chaos, it has been really hard,” says Katherine Rodger. She says the neighbourhood runs off a well system, and without electricity the past few days have been difficult. “We have no power, no water,” she says.
But she says everyone is helping each other. “We are a very tight-knit community. We are lucky our house wasn’t damaged, our neighbours aren’t as lucky, but it is the least we can do while we wait for our hydro to come back on.
“Some of our neighbours have generators and we have been using their houses to fill our toilets and use it to wash our faces. We have generous neighbors with generators who give us coffee in the morning and give us pails of water – we are a real community coming together.”
Rodger and her husband Jamie have spent hours cleaning trees and branches from neighbours’ yards, including Joanne Uygur. Right before the storm, Uyrgur broke her foot, so getting out of her house with so much damage on her front lawn has been difficult.
“My family just left for a trip overseas, so I am on my own, with a broken foot and they have been life savers,” Uygur says.
Communities and faith groups have also come together to help one another.
Rabbi Aryeh Kravetz leads the Congregation Beit Tikvah, a synagogue off Craig Henry Drive. “On Saturday when the storm hit, we had people all of sudden after Shabbat, the Sabbath went out, we started realizing that people were without power.”
He says people were worried about food spoiling. “We said, if anyone needs, come use use the synagogues fridge or freezer space.”
The entire kitchen and fridge are packed with food for anyone who needs it.
Kravetz says, “The Ottawa Kosher Food Bank contacted us and asked if we had power, and if we could store their supply- we said of course, and they came late at night with pounds and pounds of food.”
“A lot of people depend on the Kosher Food Bank, especially know when people are finding themselves in a difficult situation,” says Kravetz.
He says the kindness goes beyond the fridge. “We have a WhatsApp group- which is active with people, ‘Someone needs a generator- okay, someone will help, if anyone needs anything, we are in constant community for anything they need.’”
The city of Ottawa says Emergency Reception Centres will be open from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Here is a list of the Emergency Reception Centres.
- CARDELREC Recreation Complex Goulbourn, at 1500 Shea Rd.
- François Dupuis Recreation Centre, at 2263 Portobello Blvd.
- Howard Darwin Centennial Arena, at 1765 Merivale Rd.
- Hunt Club-Riverside Park Community Centre, at 3320 Paul Anka Dr.
- Plant Recreation Centre, at 930 Somerset Street West
- Richmond Arena, at 6095 Perth St.
- J.A. Dulude Arena, at 941 Clyde Ave.
- Bernard-Grandmaître Arena, at 309 McArthur Rd.
- Navan Memorial Centre, at 1295 Colonial Rd.
- Walter Baker Sports Centre, at 100 Malvern Dr.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Health Canada to change sperm donor screening rules for men who have sex with men
Health Canada will change its longstanding policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned. The federal health agency has adopted a revised directive removing the ban on gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, effective May 8.
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer denied bail after being charged with killing Canadian couple
American millionaire Jonathan Lehrer, one of two men charged in the killings of a Canadian couple in Dominica, has been denied bail.
LeBlanc says he plans to run in next election, under Trudeau's leadership
Cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to run in the next election as a candidate under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's leadership, amid questions about his rumoured interest in succeeding his longtime friend for the top job.
Security Council plans to vote on UN membership for Palestine
The UN Security Council is set to vote Thursday on a resolution that would allow the state of Palestine to join the United Nations as a full member, a step the United States opposes and will veto if necessary.
Grandparent scam suspects had ties to Italian organized crime, police allege
A group of suspects that allegedly defrauded seniors across Ontario and other parts of Canada using a so-called emergency grandparent scam appear to have ties to 'Italian traditional organized crime,' according to an investigator involved in the OPP-led probe.
Sports columnist apologizes for 'oafish' comments directed at Caitlin Clark. The controversy isn’t over
A male columnist has apologized for a cringeworthy moment during former University of Iowa superstar and college basketball’s highest scorer Caitlin Clark’s first news conference as an Indiana Fever player.
Cat found on Toronto Pearson airport runway 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Trend Line Anger, pessimism towards federal government reach six-year high: Nanos survey
Most Canadians in March reported feeling angry or pessimistic towards the federal government than at any point in the last six years, according to a survey by Nanos Research.
B.C.'s short-term rental regulations include $10K daily penalties for Airbnb, other platforms
Short-term rental platforms that violate B.C.'s pending regulations can face administrative penalties of up to $10,000 per day, officials announced Thursday.