Only a week ago Adelaide-Wells Park and the North London Athletic Fields were completely flooded. Residents of a nearby mobile home park were rescued by boat from their flooded home. The waters have receded and now the clean-up begins.
The ground in Adelaide-Wells Park is thoroughly saturated and the ground surrounding the newly installed playground is muddy. Inside the cement ring the sandy topsoil needs a great deal of work, especially around the concrete rim. The top level of landscaping made of sand is thoroughly soaked with water and is uneven in many places. It will need to dry out first and then need some very careful manicuring. The rest of the park is simply soaked.
The Athletic fields need a thorough drying out before any soccer matches can begin. Basements on Bridle Path and in the Waltzing Weasel are still drying out. The photo of central London with Labatts Field and the Museum and downtown office buildings surrounded by brown water last week was both sickening and awesome. We are no match for nature.
Most of Southwestern Ontario had to deal with an extremely wet winter and a sudden thaw. Isolated flooding has been reported in Kitchener, Chatham and other low lying areas. It is both awesome and frightening watching the power of nature. At this point I think I'd like to look back at the photos I've taken of the floods and learn a bit more about our local watershed and how we manage one of our most precious natural resources.
Happily, only a week after the flood, children were playing on the swings again in Adelaide-Wells Park.
