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Months after rising water caused millions of dollars in damage, the St. John River Flood of ‘08 remains an ongoing story of loss and perseverance.

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Red Cross volunteers Richard Sutherland, Andre Rioux and Deborah MacPherson look over the book River Risiing with John Wishart, second from right, the book's editor. As a result of the Brunswick News project, a cheque for $10,000 was delivered recently to the Canadian Red Cross to assist in flood relief efforts following this year's historic flood of the Saint John River this spring.

Homeowners hardest hit when the murky river water invaded their homes and land are slowly rebuilding and repairing as they work through damage claims, disaster relief programs and government compensation.

The flooding caused by the flood of late April and early May will go down as the second worst flood in the river system's history. The high water mark in Fredericton came close to the all-time 8.6 metre mark set in 1973.

Some people lost their homes entirely, others had to rip out drywall and flooring ruined by the water. Roads and bridges were impacted, farmland waiting for spring seeding was hard hit and both domestic and wild animals scurried to higher ground. To help people affected by the flood, the Canadian Red Cross in New Brunswick offered immediate and longer-term assistance.

Brunswick News Inc., publisher of The Tribune, captured the flooding in photos from the ground and air, and from talking to official spokespeople and anxious homeowners.

Besides delivering day-to-day coverage, the newspapers also published a book on the flood called River Rising — Fleuve en Fureur. The 100-page book is filled with photos of the flooding, from Clair in the province's northwest to Saint John where the river empties into the Bay of Fundy.

The newspaper company decided to donate 20 per cent of the proceeds from book sales to the Red Cross in New Brunswick to help with flood relief efforts. Brunswick News representatives presented a cheque recently for $10,000 to the Red Cross, representing the first 20 per cent commitment.

Edith Robb, director of community relations for Brunswick News, said the newspaper group feels it is important to give back to each of the communities that were hard-hit by the flood waters last spring.

"Many of the people who were affected by the flood are also our readers," Robb said. "We feel it is important to support them as they have supported us. That's why we decided to donate a portion of sales from River Rising to the Red Cross."

"The sales to date (4,500 copies) have surpassed our expectations and we want to continue to sell it so more money can be raised to help the Red Cross with flood relief efforts," she added.

John Wishart, the book's editor and assistant managing editor of the Times & Transcript newspaper in Moncton , said River Rising is really a tribute to the people who continue to live in the shadow of the river and understand better than anyone both its beauty and danger.

"There are a lot of personal stories of heartache and perseverance in this flood and we wanted River Rising to help tell that story both in photos and words," Wishart explained.

"We are very happy that New Brunswickers have purchased it in such great numbers and we hope it continues to sell well up through the Christmas season."

Accepting the newspaper group's cheque were Bill Lawlor, the Red Cross director of disaster management for Atlantic Canada, and Louise Castonguay, regional director for New Brunswick. Several Canadian Red Cross volunteers who participated in the flood response also took part.

The Red Cross was heavily involved during the flooding that began in late April, and in the days and weeks that followed. Its personnel provided immediate support to people forced to leave their homes, taking registration information by phone and in person to help emergency authorities keep track of evacuees; helping to equip and manage shelters and comfort centres; and arranging food, transportation and other essentials.

Later, the Red Cross distributed cleaning and disinfecting materials to homeowners; assisted many financially to offset extraordinary fuel, food and telephone costs; and established eight recovery centres from which its teams assisted with the delivery of water testing kits, clean-up kits and application packages and guides for disaster financial assistance from the provincial government.

"We had a total of 331 Red Cross personnel, including 282 volunteers and 49 staff from across the province, throughout Atlantic Canada, and as far west as Ontario assisting New Brunswickers over the course of nearly a month and a half," Lawlor noted.

"During that time, we registered 2,214 people, provided direct lodging for 485 people, distributed more than 800 cleanup kits and thousands of other items — everything from bottled water to information packages."

New Brunswickers and Canadians coast-to-coast generously donated more than $300,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to assist its flood relief efforts. The figure includes both cash donations and in-kind support in the form of products and services from both local businesses and organizations and national corporations. That figure doesn't include the Brunswick News donation made yesterday. BNI will make an additional donation once book sales conclude later this year.

The Brunswick News donation will also help offset some flood-related costs and assist the Red Cross in replenishing its disaster supplies inventory and providing ongoing training for its emergency response volunteers to ensure it remains fully prepared for the next response in New Brunswick, whether it be from flooding or any other natural or human-caused event, Lawlor said.

The book is now in its third printing and is still available at The Tribune office.