Even before Niagara-on-the-Lake flooded a second time, the town had received 118 flood-related service requests but had no damage estimate or confirmed count of flooded basements.
Now, after two major storms in six days, the full toll remains unknown and possible provincial assistance has no dollar amount, eligibility rules or application process.
Five hours of rain brought 146.26 millimetres on July 28, hitting Virgil hardest. Five days later, localized totals topped 110 millimetres before the town had recovered.
After the first storm, staff were still investigating possible sewer backups, overflows and infrastructure failures and assessing the Cole, Harrison and Szockyj drains.
The town has not provided updated service-request or damage figures covering both floods.
It is tracking response costs and documenting damage to support potential disaster-recovery funding applications. It is also advocating for provincial financial help for residents, businesses and farmers.
Acting Regional Chair Tom Insinna thanked Ontario for “stepping forward with urgently needed relief” in an Aug. 4 statement.
But Niagara Region later confirmed no specific assistance had been announced.
Insinna was referring to Premier Doug Ford’s public commitment that the province is working with affected Niagara municipalities, said Nick Colosimo, chief of staff in the regional chair’s office.
“Currently, the province has not announced specific funding amounts, eligibility requirements or an application process,” Colosimo said.
The region could not confirm what assistance will be available or whether it will apply to both NOTL floods.
Asked why NOTL had not declared a state of emergency, Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa did not directly answer and instead pointed to the town’s public statements.
“It’s all in the release,” he said.
The town declared a Significant Weather Event after the first flood, warning that some maintenance and response times could be reduced while staff prioritized cleanup. However, none of its flood-related statements addresses a state-of-emergency declaration or the lack thereof.
Coun. Maria Mavridis said on her Facebook account that, according to the town’s Emergency Control Group, declaring a state of emergency would not provide additional powers, funding or resources. She said one could still be declared if conditions change or a clear benefit emerges.
The region said regional and local infrastructure “performed as designed.” Separately, the town said it found and removed a temporary obstruction that significantly reduced flow through the King Street culvert during the second storm. Staff are investigating how it occurred and what role it played.
For now, residents are cleaning up while officials document the damage — and possible provincial assistance remains undefined.
