A state of emergency has been put in effect for a section of Erie Shore Drive with urgent repairs needed to the dike.
And with that, life for residents in the area has gone from bad to worse in the blink of an eye.
With the state of emergency in effect, residents will have less than two weeks to get out of their homes.
Council will be voting on Monday whether to indefinitely shut down the section of road where the dike is most likely to fail – from 17982 to 18416 Erie Shore Drive – effective March 9th.
Officials say there’s a 50% or less chance that the dike will actually fail, but they need to take every precaution to make sure that does not happen.
If there were to be a breach, officials say it would take no more than 6-8 hours to flood the area, including Erieau Road which would essentially turn the village of Erieau into an island.
Municipal support services are in place for those who need it, including help with temporary lodging and financial assistance. Residents are asked to call the Civic Center 519360 1998 and be connected with a case manager.
