b'DISASTER MANAGEMENTDozens of Fowler Construction employees put their special skills to use during last springs flooding in Muskokarescue, using their special skills and equipment to help mitigate the damage. Fowler Construction stepped up to the plateBuilt in Ontariowhen the Muskoka River overflowed this past spring,floodingthesurroundingareaand washingoutroads.TheDistrictofMuskokaFor Ontariodeclared a State of Emergency and the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit issued a Drinking WaterAdvisory.About100CanadianArmed Forces Reservists arrived to help residents hold back the rising waters.It was pretty wild. We just kept getting hit by 40 or 50mm of rain, says James Gordon, materialsmanagerforFowlerConstruction. Unlike southern Ontario, here its just rock, and the ground cant absorb water. When we getrain,itjustfloods.Wealsogotalotof spring melt and, in combination with the rains, it was the perfect storm.Fowleroperatesoutofseverallocations, butthemainofficeisinBracebridge,and when the waters started to rise, the company opened up a full-time sandbagging operation to supply residents, community volunteers and emergency-aid workers with sand throughout the disaster. Weve had a couple of floods over the years and this was definitely the worst by far, says Gordon. In previous years, maybe we did 5,000 sandbags. This year, we did 50,000. Dozens of company employees helped out, andcommunityresidentspitchedinaswell. We had two days when community members werewelcometocomeandhelpsandbag, notes Gordon. Keep in mind that while were doing this, we have crews out there responding to the actual flood conditions on the roads as wellandkeepingemergencyroadwaysopen, so we were stretched pretty thin. There was an Ontario Sales, Parts & Service Ontario Manufacturingabnormal amount of emergency work. Cambridge: (519) 624-6500 Aylmer: (519) 773-8915ontario@elrus.com aylmer@elrus.comThewholecommunitycametogetherTM ELRUS.COMaround the damage-control efforts. Gordonwas FALL 2019AVENUES 31'