Today marks another devastating day for the Town of Lincoln.
With more than 170 mm of rainfall in a single day, following two additional storms that each brought more than 100 mm of rain within the past week and a half, our community has been pushed beyond its limits. These are not ordinary weather events. They are extraordinary disasters.
No municipal infrastructure system is designed to withstand this volume of rainfall over such a short period of time. Despite significant investments in roads, stormwater systems, and critical infrastructure, the intensity and frequency of these storms have overwhelmed our community. Homes have been flooded, businesses have suffered extensive damage, roads have become impassable, and essential municipal infrastructure has sustained significant impacts.
Beyond the physical damage is the human cost.
Families are facing uncertainty. Business owners are wondering how they will recover. Residents who have experienced repeated flooding in a matter of days are exhausted, overwhelmed, and deeply concerned about what comes next. The emotional and mental toll on our community cannot be understated.
The Town of Lincoln, like other municipalities across Niagara, is declaring a Significant Weather Event and calls on both the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada to formally recognize the severity of this disaster by declaring a state of emergency for Niagara, with particular attention to the extraordinary impacts experienced in the Town of Lincoln.
Such recognition must be accompanied by immediate action. We urgently request emergency financial assistance for affected residents and businesses, as well as dedicated funding to help improve municipal infrastructure that will strengthen our community’s resilience to increasingly severe weather events.
Our staff and emergency responders have worked tirelessly throughout these events, and we extend our sincere gratitude for their dedication and professionalism.
Lincoln is a resilient community, but resilience alone cannot shoulder the burden of increasingly frequent and unprecedented climate events. We need our provincial and federal partners to stand with us, not only in responding to today’s emergency, but in investing in the long-term infrastructure solutions that communities across Niagara need.
Now is the time for action.