Erieau would become an island if Lake Erie washes only access road

The small beach-town community of Erieau, Ont. is known for its serene surroundings and small businesses, but the community is facing a problem its only access road is located in an area that's currently under a state of emergency and prone to flooding.

Chatham-Kent officials are worried that Erieau's only access road could become flooded if the Erie Shore Drive dike breaches, rendering the tiny community of about 500,an island.

Brian Currie has lived in Erieau for more than 40 years and works at Molly and OJ's restaurant.

"I'm not concerned about being on an island, I don't think it'll last that long," he said. "There's enough boats that if we have to get out, we will get out."

But Currie is worried for the many elderly people who live in the area especially if EMS or other emergency vehicles can't access homes there.

Here's a look at the area of Chatham-Kent that is a flood danger zone:

Erie Shore Drive flood zone map

5 years ago

Duration 0:37

This map shows the area of Chatham-Kent that is a flood danger zone, and the community of Erieau that could become an island.

The municipality saidwork to the Erie Shore Drive dike should take sixto eightweeks, and the plan is to allow people to return to their properties on after that.

Currie said he feels bad for those people who were rushed from their homes so that the road could be closed off and work could begin.

"I think there could have been better options,I mean it could have been done years ago," he said. "Everybody knows that road is been failing probably for 10 or more years. They should have had a better idea of what was going on instead of like all of a sudden there was a panic mode."

At 12:01 a.m. Monday, the portion of Erie Shore Drive that runs along the lake was closed and officially became a construction zone. Residents had about nine days to pack up and get out so work could be started on the dike.

"We want to get this done as soon as possible," Chatham-Kent MayorDarrin Canniffsaid Monday afternoon.

"We're doing all this for safety reasons,that was first and foremost,that's why we had seen construction crews first thing in the morning at 6a.m. out there."

Canniff said it's not just homes along the road that could be destroyed. About 1,600 acres of rich farmland are below lake level and would flood if the dike breaches. Aswould the road which leads to Erieau.

Watch Chatham-Kent spent $1M on Erie Shore dike, says mayor:

Chatham-Kent spent $1M on Erie Shore dike, says mayor

5 years ago

Duration 4:12

Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff says council couldn't wait to repair Erie Shore Drive dike as spring storms could ruin area.

The municipality spent more than $1 million on monitoring and repairing the dike in the past, said Canniff. This year, they're expecting to spend at least another $500,000.

"Right now,the federal and provincial governments have looked at it and there is no funding mechanisms for this," he said, explaining that the costs have come from taxpayers. "It's funding for a natural disaster, so there's nothing there to cover off preventing a natural disaster."

The mayor said the municipality will continue to appeal to both levels of government as they look to stabilize and protect the 90 kilometres of shoreline along Lake Erie.

"We are going to have to relocate a lot of roads, not just Erie Shore Drive," said Canniff."So it'll be beyond the means of the municipality to fix all that."

Watch: Atimeline of Erie Shore Drive:

Timeline of Erie Shore Drive deterioration

5 years ago

Duration 1:07

A combination of storm surges and rising lake levels have led to more flooding events since March of 2016. around the Erie Shore Drive area.

Infrastructure Canada announced more than$16.5 million toward the Chatham-Kent Flood Mitigation Along Thames & Sydenham Rivers project in march of 2019, according to an emailed statement to CBC Newsfrom the federal department.

The money was to "reinforce shorelines and ensure that local essential services have the increased capacity needed to manage extreme weather events."

The department also suggested the municipality would need to submita project application for the Erie Shore Road dike to the province,which would then decide if it should be prioritized and submitted for Infrastructure Canada's review.