The cause of the flooding concerns in Pasadena today has been identified as an ice jam in South Brook.
Mayor Gary Bishop and other officials flew over the brook coursing through the heart of the town earlier today to see if they could find out why three homes on Maple Place had to e evacuated Saturday morning.
According to Bishop, an ice jam in a bend in the river has forced the brook to redirect its flow towards Maple Place.
He said a plan is being worked on to break up the jam and get the water flowing back on its regular course towards Deer Lake.
Power has been cut to the three homes because floodwaters are dangerously close to the home’s electrical services. With temperatures expected to drop to around -16 C tonight, Bishop hopes the situation can soon be rectified to the point where power can be restored and homes can be warmed up.
He said the town is looking at bringing in generators to pump water out of flooded basements.
The mayor said it will be days before the entire situation is taken care of.
Five residents from the three affected homes Maple Place had to be evacuated in a loader because of the flooding Saturday morning.
The road was inaccessible to regular traffic and Bishop said the current was so strong in the six or seven feet of the floodwater that a boat could not be used for the evacuation.
Bishop said all of the evacuated residents are fine and have found alternate accommodations with family and friends.
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Five residents of Maple Place in Pasadena had to be evacuated from their homes because of flooding in the area Saturday morning.
According to social media posts by Pasadena Fire rescue, the evacuation was successful, but first responders and town employees remain on the scene to deal with the situation.
The road, which only has a few houses on it, is near a brook that courses through the middle of town. The brook flooded after Friday’s heavy rains and mild temperatures and overflowed onto the road, rendering it impassable by regular traffic.
The town’s volunteer fire department deployed its ice water rescue team to conduct the evacuation.
A crew from Newfoundland Power was also on the scene as part of the emergency response.
