After the tornado of September 21st, 2018, an outpouring of support came to the West Carleton Area.  The people of West Carleton and the larger Ottawa area showed just how a community could come together in a time of great suffering. Clean up groups were organized, large donations of clothing, cleaning materials, chain saws, tarps, food and much more, were graciously brought to West Carleton.  Community leaders rallied together to provide the highest level of service possible under extreme circumstances.  The objective was to help our affected residents and business to return to their homes and livelihoods as quickly as possible.

Considering that change is inevitable, the West Carleton area hit by the tornado will never look the same, however, the community has come along way from that September 21st evening. In the two years since the tornado, very positive changes have occurred.  Firstly the houses, of which most are rebuilt, are beautiful and represent renewal and progress. A number of businesses affected have recovered or resettled in Dunrobin and are back serving the community. With the help of Trees Canada and the City of Ottawa, new, young trees have been planted offering hope for future generations.  The landscape still has it’s scars, but time will heal them and we are already seeing the beauty of the area coming back. 

When West Carleton Disaster Relief came to existence, being born out of the rubble of that tornado, many financial donations were received.  Very careful consideration and many, many late nights allowed our team to determine how the funds should be allocated.  This was no easy task.  It took many phone calls to those affected, many visits to properties and some really hard decisions.   The focus was to distribute funds in a balanced manner based on need, insurance coverage and the goal of seeing everyone back into their home.  The funds while significant were limited and we not able to help everyone 100% but the team's effort far exceeded the 100% effort.

It took almost 2 years but the WCDR team has completed its task of funding allocation and distribution as well as logistical support.  The effort put forward by first responders, volunteers, many different NGO's and the city of Ottawa was extraordinary. We cannot begin to thank you all enough for the support you have to show West Carleton during these past few challenging years of one disaster after another. We are hoping for a break from disasters soon so we can focus on properly thanking you all.

Unfortunately, we are not done yet. 

We are still working strong as West Carleton residents affected by the flood of 2019 are still struggling with their recovery. Disaster burnout is real and is having a deep impact on our ability to assist especially with the realities of Covid-19 at our doorsteps. With your continued support, our dedicated group of volunteers will continue to fight for a full recovery for all of our residents affected.

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Update: Aug 31, 2020