I took a walk down to the Ottawa River this morning to see what it looked like. We live a few long blocks from the river, but there is a relatively steep slope between the river and the road, so I think it would be difficult for the river to breach that. I was surprised, however, by how high the water was. I have never seen the river like this. The pathway along the river is washed out except for a small section of a few hundred metres, on which I was standing. To the right is the steeper slope, showing a side path coming to the main river pathway, from the road. To the left is a slope of perhaps 3 feet, which is now completely engulfed. The power of the river is formidable, and I can only imagine the catastrophe faced by the hundreds, if not thousands of people who are flooded out of their homes along this river and others in the region. It is a very difficult time for them. Ottawa has declared a state of emergency and called in the army for help.