A number of residents living on the shores of Lac Ste. Anne have started the process of cleaning up after the land their homes stand on was covered in ice, washed up from the lake in a destructive wave.
Gerald Lester is one of those homeowners – he’s owned land in Sunset Point, on the lake, for 40 years.
Earlier this week, a neighbour called him, urging him to get to his property and survey the damage – he found his boat house virtually demolished.
“It’s sat there for years and years and years, and now it’s gone,” Lester said.
Lester’s case wasn’t the worst either, in some cases homes and cottages were seriously damaged.
Residents told CTV News this type of ice flow is fairly common, but it hasn’t been this serious in years.
On Scott Morrison’s property, the winds were strong enough to move boulders, along with the ice, onto his property; the ice reached his home and broke a number of windows.
“I heard the wind and didn’t think anything of it,” Morrison said. “I went downstairs and sure enough.”
The cleanup and rebuilding is already underway – and many said insurance won’t cover repair costs.
However, the MLA for the area said the province could help – but officials had not been asked.
“There’s always the opportunity for disaster services, but at this point the municipality hasn’t contacted us and made us aware of widespread disaster,” MLA George Vanderburg said.
As for Lester, he said the damage to his property adds up to about $2,000, and for that he considers himself lucky.
Although, he said, the situation could always get worse before it gets better.
“If you look out there, we’ve still got half a lake of ice, so it can come in too,” Lester said. “We’re just hoping it heads for the reeds.”
With files from Ashley Molnar
