New subdivision OK'd for N.B. flood victims

Two New Brunswick companies will begin building a subdivision in St. George to house 21 families who were left homeless after December's flood.

St. George town council approved the subdivision plan pitched by Cooke Aquaculture and J.D. Irving Ltd. at a meeting Monday night.

The plan is to get people into housing on lots that tap into existing sewers and power lines, giving victims of last month's floods homes they can call their own.

St. George Mayor Sharon Tucker said the subdivision plan is the first step toward getting people back on their feet quickly.

"What we hope to do is ensure that people are in the appropriate housing in a very timely fashion," Tucker said.

St. George was one of the southwest New Brunswick communities that were heavily damaged by themid-December's flood. Several communities were disconnected from the rest of the province when water covered the roads.

Twenty-onehouses in St. George had to be condemned, creating the need for the new subdivision.

Subdivision plan

Cooke Aquaculture and J.D. Irving were involved early in the flood relief effort, helping evacuate homes and getting people to safe areas.

The two companies estimate the subdivision plan will cost roughly $2 million. They will share the costwith theprovincial government and other organizations.

The families will be placed in modular or mobile homes.

"There's definitely a few hurdles that they're going to have to work on, but I would say within a month, a month and a half, the best-case scenario, it could[proceed] fairly quickly," saidLiberal MLA Rick Doucet, who represents the area.

New Brunswick witnessed three powerful storms in December that caused more than $50 million worth of damage to homes and property.