20 N.S. houses to receive free flood-proofing upgrades in pilot project

Residents of New Glasgow, N.S., can now apply for free home assessments and upgrades to protect against overland flooding, through a new project by Clean Foundation.

The Dartmouth-based environmental charity is partnering with Nova Scotia’s Department of Environment and Climate Change, the Town of New Glasgow and the Halifax Regional Municipality to kick start the resilient home retrofit pilot project. In May, the province spent $400,000 on this initiative. 

Overland flooding occurs when water flows over the land and seeps into windows, doors, foundations or cracks of a house, according to Clean Foundation’s senior manager of programs, Charlynne Robertson. She said this type of flooding is not automatically covered by most insurance companies — something many Canadians are not aware of. 

“Overland flooding is a climate-related emergency that can cause severe damage to homes,” said Robertson. “[It] can pose significant financial cost to homeowners, as well as health and safety risks.” 

Forty homeowners living in single-detached houses will be selected for a flood-risk and energy assessment at no cost — 20 in New Glasgow and 20 in HRM. Then, 10 of these households from each municipality will receive free flood-proofing upgrades, managed by Clean Foundation. 

Potential upgrades could include installing pumps, backwater valves, window well covers, better drainage and adjusting gutter alignment, according to Robertson.  

“It is about, where possible, keeping the water out of the envelope of the home,” she said. 

‘A good place to start’

Applications for New Glasgow residents close on Sept. 15 and assessments are set to be completed by the end of fall, according to Robertson. She said the organization is working on choosing two regions in HRM to participate in the project, and applications for these areas will open soon.

“I think this is a good place to start,” said New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks. “We’ve been doing some really significant and important climate work over the last four years, and this, sort of, fits nicely with the work that we’re doing.”

Robertson explained Clean Foundation will choose successful applicants based on environmental and economic factors such as, the age of the home, history of flooding, proximity to bodies of water and household income levels. 

“Even for those folks who aren’t participating in the program, I think just being able to talk about it and to help people understand steps that they can take to make their home better protected, and also to feel more prepared,” said Robertson.