As thousands of Ottawa residents continue to recover from the July 1 flash flooding, a new initiative is aiming to help families replace furniture lost in the disaster. The city of Ottawa is partnering with Matthew House and Habitat for Humanity to provide gently used furniture to residents in need as they begin rebuilding their homes. For some, the cleanup is only now getting underway. David Milne’s basement was left badly damaged after more than three feet of water rushed into his home during the storm. “I heard some water about midnight or so,” Milne said. “I went back to bed for an hour, and an hour and a half later, water was gushing in the door.” The basement sat largely untouched for weeks. Mould eventually set in, his house became uninhabitable and Milne says his insurance claim was denied. “We’re going to try to fight this. It makes no sense and of course the policy was downstairs. It’s totally wet… they’re supposed to send me a copy, it hasn’t happened yet,” said Milne. Five days ago, Samaritan’s Purse stepped in, with volunteers stripping the basement and hauling away damaged belongings. Crews are now on their fifth dumpster. “They threw a bunch of stuff out that were memories, but still they’ve been doing a tremendous job,” Milne said. For disaster relief organizations, helping residents clear out damaged homes is only the first step. “If we weren’t here helping them clean that out, I’m just not sure where they would be,” said Tammy Suitor, a disaster relief manager with Samaritan’s Purse. “Some of them would be losing their homes because they couldn’t continue to live in it.” ‘An enormous investment for them’ As residents move from cleanup to rebuilding, replacing lost furniture can bring another major expense. That is where the new city partnership comes in. Matthew House and Habitat for Humanity will work together to provide gently used furniture to flood-affected residents who need support. “For so many people that would be underinsured or uninsured, to be able to replace the furniture that they’ve lost would be an enormous investment for them,” said Kailee Brennan, executive director of Matthew House. “And so, we’re able to provide that for them instead.” Nearly 6,500 flooded basements have been reported across Ottawa following the storm and the need is still being assessed. “The coordination is all being done through the city and then Matthew House and Habitat will be coordinating together to serve as many people as we can,” said Patrick Barker, director of social enterprise operations and development with Habitat for Humanity. For residents still clearing out what the flood left behind, the support is one more step toward moving forward and for Milne that support is hard to put into words. “I can’t… I can’t say,” Milne said when asked what the help has meant to him. “It’s amazing.” Residents who want to donate furniture towards this initiative can drop off furniture Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 700 Industrial Ave., loading Bay #16. Matthew House also offers a paid pick-up service for furniture donations. Email furnituredonations@matthewhouseottawa.org or call 613-591-6681 ex. 2512 for more information.
