The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, August 15, 2014 | 6 Neighbours in need Many of our neighbours in Burlington are in need and we should answer the call -- both to offer assistance and ask ourselves if it could have easily been any one of us. Last week's storm should be a wake-up call to homeowners to make sure they have adequate insurance coverage for repairs and replacement of property in a worstcase scenario, especially involving a sewer backup. As Burlington Mayor Rick Goldring said, some of the Civic Holiday Monday ood damage, caused when more than a month's worth of rain fell in a matter of ve to six hours, was likely not easily preventable. As a result, people lost many things -- their clothes, furnaces, photographs, furniture, washers and dryers. The list is endless and our neighbours need help. The United Way of Burlington & Greater Hamilton is among those managing donations toward ood relief efforts so help is available to residents who require assistance beyond what their insurance will cover. Nearly $75,000 has been raised through the Burlington Flood Relief effort so far said the UW. But more is needed. The City of Burlington is also appealing to Halton Region and the provincial government for nancial assistance. "This is a time for all levels of government and the community to work together to help the people of Burlington," said Mayor Goldring. "On the surface, this is an invisible disaster. The only evidence to anyone passing by is the couches and rolls of carpet piled up by the curb, the multiple bags of garbage and the giant garbage bins in driveways." However Goldring noted, "People have been devastated, their lives shaken upside down." According to Burlington Councillor Paul Sharman, thousands of Burlington homes built before the early 1970s are funnelling storm runoff directly into the local sewer system. So, when big storms hit, the sanitary sewer can't handle the immediate extra water and the resulting backup ends up in people's homes. Dozens of Burlington residents, who had just recovered from sewage backup caused by a May 13 storm, suffered the same fate Aug. 4. "Some of the homes I was visiting ... had ve feet of sewage in them," Sharman said in the immediate aftermath of the torrential rain that is believed to have caused ood damage to more than 2,000 Burlington homes. While Oakville residents did not experience anywhere near such a broad impact Aug. 4, `Water on road' signs are still present on Rebecca Street West, the Oakville Beaver had a report of signi cant storm damage at Sheldon Creek and it's likely residences did sustain water damage. Earlier this week, ood warnings were again issued for Halton by area Conservation authorities. Samaritan's Purse Canada, a Christian relief and development organization, has sent one of its Disaster Relief Units to Burlington and it's partnering with World Renew, a Burlington disaster recovery organization associated with the Christian Reformed Church. Samaritan's Purse Canada needs volunteers and donations to help with the massive clean up -- an invitation it is extending to Oakville residents. The unit is a tractor trailer out tted with essential disaster recovery equipment including generators, pumps, hand tools, and safety gear for volunteers. It also serves as a coordination centre, has a self-contained of ce, communications system, and supplies. Anyone wanting to volunteer can call 1-905-592-1874. Editorial D O U B L E C U T "Connected to your Community" 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 52 | Number 98 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor Oakville brothers Matthew Nocera-Iozzo, 11, (left) and Marc Nocera-Iozzo, 9, donated their locks to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program for the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). The youths had their hair cut at Char Le Blanc Salon & Spa on Prince Michael Drive Wednesday. They had been growing their hair since September 2012. Procter & Gamble Canada launched the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign in 2007 in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society. Hair donations of eight inches or more are accepted to create wigs. The youths also raised more than $2,000 to donate to the CCS, Halton.| photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS Letter to the Editor MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Article hit home for heart attack survivor Re: Senior takes on Big Bike, Oakville Beaver, Thursday, July 10, 2014 As a heart and stroke survivor, you have good days and bad days. Some days I get up, look in the mirror and say to myself, "Why Me? Why did I have to have heart disease? I was an active athlete all my life and ate a healthy diet. How could this happen to me?" There are also times when I get up, look in the mirror and say to myself, "You have to be the luckiest person in the world." This was evidenced even more, when I read the article. I had the opportunity to meet Shirley Reid and her daughter Carole Binsky at the Big Bike event. I was quite impressed that a person with her own serious health problems would set them aside to help raise funds for Heart and Stoke research. Over the last months, as a survivor, spokesperson and ambassador for the Halton Heart and Stroke Foundation, I have had the opportunity to speak to many of the teams that have participated in the Big Bike Events in Halton to relate how their participation in this event has helped heart and stroke survivors such as myself. I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of both the individuals, the organizations and the companies that have participated in the Bike Big Event this year. As I have told them, they have given survivors, such as myself, a second chance at life. The funds that have been raised go to the research of medications, devices such as the one that I have and the search for a cure for heart disease. People like Shirley give a whole new meaning to what helping others is all about. If you, your organization or company would like to participate in a Big Bike event, call the Halton Heart and Stroke Of ce at 905-6347732. It's fun and you will be helping others. Ernie Nock, Oakville Survivor, spokesperson and ambassador Halton Heart and Stroke Foundation Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5040 Mainway, Burlington ON L7L 7G5 or via e-mail to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.