Florence Cooper was keeping a close eye on the water creeping into her backyard in the last few days.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the Deer Lake resident could see town officials going door-to-door in her Moss’s Lane neighbourhood, advising folks to be prepared to leave if the water got too close.
The Coopers house is on the banks near the mouth of the Upper Humber River. On Tuesday afternoon, the water was within about 30 feet of the home and getting closer.
Cooper has lived in the area for 24 years.
“I’ve seen this much water before, but usually during the spring melt,” she said. “But this does seem to be different.”
The mighty river’s level has been rising steadily since this past Saturday’s major rainstorm that not only dumped about 100 millimetres of rain, but also caused significant snowmelt throughout the region.
The Upper Humber River is fed by many tributaries running off the mountains located on the eastern side of Gros Morne National Park. The water that flowed downriver brought with it ice pans and slob, along with other debris.
The ice and debris began piling up on the island located at the mouth of the river, where it empties into Deer Lake itself. The rafting ice caused the river to begin backing up.
The wind direction wasn’t helping conditions Tuesday either as it was essentially blowing upriver and pushing ice in Deer Lake towards the mouth of the Humber, adding to the pressure.
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The Coopers have a wharf down on the river, but it was completely underwater Tuesday afternoon.
“There’s a lot of ice around the wharf,” she said. “If it keeps coming, we might lose the wharf.”
Even if it stays where it is, Cooper is concerned the wharf may be damaged or the integrity of the surface under it compromised.
As she waited for the town officials to come and knock on her door with the latest information, Cooper hoped she and her husband wouldn’t have to leave.
She was ready to go if they had to.
“I told my husband to get the suitcase ready,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Mayor Dean Ball, along with town staff, provincial government officials and the police were monitoring the situation and warning people living near the river that the rising water may jeopardize their properties if it doesn’t recede.
Over on Pinetree Drive, which also courses alongside the river, a work crew had to remove a utility pole that was situated on foundering ground.
The Town of Deer Lake issued notices to its residents to stay off the bridges in the area, along with any wharf structures and other areas close to the riverbank until further notice.
Two sections of the town’s walking trails, specifically the sections that run along the Humber River, were closed due to flooding. Bridge structures on the trail section between Route 430 and Deer Lake Regional Airport were under water and the trail was not deemed safe for use.
Barricades were placed at either end of the trails and residents were urged to stay off the trails until further notice.
