Flood buyouts prudent

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/04/2009 (6008 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Doer government’s announcement that it will offer buyouts to property owners in flood-prone areas north of Winnipeg is a responsible policy that should be considered carefully by the hundreds of people who might be eligible.

Since it is not feasible to build permanent flood-protection systems for every municipality, it is prudent to buy out the homeowners who have suffered in the past and who are likely to suffer in the future. The federal and provincial governments have bailed out homeowners with flood damage repeatedly in the past in the rural municipalities of St. Andrews and St. Clements, but it doesn’t make financial sense to continue paying compensation, particularly when climate-change forecasts predict more flooding in the future.

Nor is the question of buyouts simply a matter of reducing long-term costs. There are human costs and safety issues involved when the Red River threatens low-lying properties. Emergency services are activated, volunteers and homeowners are forced to take time off work, while municipal governments and the province are put under strain and distracted from normal duties. The lives of rescue crews and homeowners are needlessly threatened, and others get sick from stress and overwork.

At this point, buyouts are an option, but it is reasonable to ask why they should not be mandatory for the most at-risk properties. Homeowners who decline to move to higher ground should know that they could be denied compensation in the future. Daredevils are not entitled to life insurance. Those who choose to live in areas declared dangerous and who have been offered a way out should not come crying when disaster hits.

Municipalities bear some responsibility for allowing people to build in vulnerable areas, although it is easy to understand why they may have believed it was matter of freedom of choice and, perhaps, that last year’s flood would be the last. As well, many homes are more than 60 years old and were built when flood conditions were different. And even newer homes, built to withstand a major flood, were overwhelmed by the unique conditions this year.

As in 1997, when 63 homeowners were bought out in the Red River Valley south of Winnipeg and others rebuilt on higher ground, it sometimes takes a disaster, which this year’s flood has been for people north of the city, to drive home common sense.

It’s not clear how many will be eligible for a buyout, but it could be close to 200, so the pricetag might be stiff. The long-terms costs of doing nothing, however, are much greater.

The flood of 2009 has thrown a curve ball at planners, who did not seem to anticipate the need to combat thick ice so late in the season, and the river and its tributaries may have other surprises in the future. One thing is clear, however. It is easier to fight a flood if life and treasure are not at risk.