By Thomas Smith

It has taken a village to defend against last week’s rising floodwaters.

On Tuesday, April 14, Minden Hills declared a State of Emergency. Not too surprising for seasoned residents who weathered the most recent floods of 2013 and 2017. With continued rainy weather, the Gull River rose exponentially.

All community programming was closed as MH staff took action in the state of the emergency running the evacuation shelter at the arena. Over 20 roads throughout the county closed or had restricted access.

The Sunnybrook Bridge and Loggers Footbridge were closed on the evening of April 17. With the bridge closures, many businesses felt a decline in both foot traffic and customers.

This past week, residents and business owners alike breathed a sigh of relief when the warm weather dried up a large chunk of pooled water.

For Boshkung Brewing’s owner Mathew Renda, this is the first flood that he has experienced.

Operating his business on flood plain, he had heard of the past flooding events that had affected the community.

One morning, Renda came to his business to see a wall of sandbags along Water Street. The next morning, the sandbag wall was moved to the other side of the road.

There was a noticeable reduction in patrons during the rain and flooding events. Many of his patrons were at home defending their property against flood damage.

For Boshkung Brewing, water came into the basement and flooded out their delivery bay, forcing them to cancel some of their deliveries. St. Germaine street beside the building had to be closed to it being covered by water.

Despite the leaks, it was business as usual for Boshkung Brewing, which remained open during the State of Emergency. Striving itself to remain an open place for the community to gather, Boshkung staff assisted with sandbagging efforts and provided food and refreshments to visitors. After a long winter, the flooding has been a big blow to sales.

“Thank you to everyone that put hard work in,” said Renda. “We couldn’t have done it without you. It was pretty amazing to see that many people give up their time”

Renda says that the outpour of community support makes him proud to operate his business in Minden.

Renda remains cautiously optimistic as he has heard that the peak of the water has yet to flow through the Gull. For now, he plans on assessing both his property and building for repairs.

Kirsten Monk and Barry Cray, of Gordon A. Monk Funeral Home took protection into their own hands after experiencing the devastating flood of 2017..

“It’s not our first rodeo,” said Monk in an interview with the Times.

The couple invested in a berm barrier after experiencing denials from their insurance and lack of support from the government.

With sandbags, their berm, and a vapour barrier, Monk reports that water has been held back so far.

With no leaks, Monk reports that she has experienced “just an unbelievable amount of stress,”

For the homes and businesses that have experienced damage from the flooding, Monk wishes their insurance agencies to show them kindness.

“They have a long road ahead of them and I’ve been down that road,” said Monk.

For St. Paul’s Anglican Church on Invergordon Avenue, the recent flooding forced both the thrift store and the Gathering Place to close. The church’s Sunday service also had to be canceled for the safety of the congregation, reports Rev. Canon Joan Cavanaugh-Clark.

Wardens of the church, as well as local freemasons and Rotary members from their congregation were heavily active in sandbagging efforts and supplying food at the evacuation shelter.

Notably, the Anglican church’s Gathering Place was created in 2013 in response to the flood of that year. Acting as a place for the community to gather, use the computer, and for respite, the Gathering Place was opened in September of 2022 before being moved to the church in 2024.

In anticipation of the rising floodwaters, Rev. Cavanaugh-Clark shut off the church’s furnace to protect it from water damage.

Luckily, no water was reported to have entered the church. Rev. Cavanaugh-Clark says that the church’s location allows for water to crest away from the building.

One member of her congregation was not as fortunate, with the floodwaters rising up to her front steps.

Deacon Martha Waind says that she feels like the water levels were handled better this year. After the increased rainfall, she feels that the water was quick to lower.

“I am proud to be a priest in Minden,” said Cavanaugh-Clark. “The community in Minden has such a sense of caring for one another.”

She would like to commend Mayor Bob Carter, Deputy Mayor Lisa Schell, and Fire Chief Don Kruger for their action taken during the emergency.

After emailing Kruger, she received a response within 15 minutes and commitment of constant communication.

As of April 27, both bridges have reopened in Minden and the weather levels have lowered. With extensive damage to homes across the township, businesses expect that it may take time for residents to return to normal with repairs from the flood damage.

The Minden Times will continue to cover spring flooding as the story develops.