Red River begins to retreat, but more than 2,000 evacuees are still displaced by the Manitoba flood
As the Red River began to shrink in southern Manitoba, floods persisted in communities and more than 2,000 people were still displaced.
Manitoba Prime Minister Heather Stephenson, along with other provincial officials, took an air tour Sunday to see the impact of the floods on the communities from a bird’s eye view.
“I think what we can see for sure is that the river is starting to recede down into the Emerson area, and I think we’re looking at the ridge in St. Adolf today,” Stephenson told reporters after his flight.
The province has confirmed that the Red River has reached its peak in Ste. Agate, St. Adolf and the entrance to the Red River Floodway on May 13. Although stable or declining upstream in Winnipeg, the river is still expected to remain high probably in June.
However, the province said floods continued in parts of Interlake, Red River Valley and central and southern Manitoba. The floods have washed away many roads in the Parkland area.
Wab Kinev, leader of the Manitoba opposition party, was invited to the flight and said his thoughts and support were with those suffering from the floods.
“We saw homes, we saw affected communities. “We’ve seen communities that have been evacuated in some cases, others that look like islands in the middle of a lake that would normally be the Red River,” Kineyu said.
Stephenson said ring dikes prevent flooding in communities, but she said there is plenty of water covering farmland and everything else in southern Manitoba.
MORE THAN 2000 EVACUATES REMAIN DISPLACED, KIT TRUSTED
Johananu Botta, head of the Manitoba Emergency Management Organization, said there were currently 446 people evacuated from municipalities and just under 2,000 people evacuated by First Nations. The province said 33 local states of emergency had been declared in Manitoba communities as of Sunday.
Stephenson said there would be more discussions about the challenges facing farmers and those displaced by floods.
Michael Murant has lived south of Winnipeg in Rischot’s RM, where water from a nearby field has covered the driveway to his home for several weeks.
“We use the tractor to get in and out, so we don’t have to wear rubber boots, because unless you’re wearing hydraulics, then you’ll get water in your boots,” he said.
Murant’s home has been in the family for decades, meaning he has experienced many floods, including the historic one in 1997. He has since made improvements to his property, such as building a concrete wall to block water.
“We did the preparation, hoping we wouldn’t have to use it,” said Murant, who also has a pile of sand and bags ready if needed. Murant said the whole situation could be quite stressful.
“If you don’t live here to watch it, you can have nightmares at night, as my father does. He calls me and checks every morning.
Muran said strong winds earlier in the week caused swollen feet from a nearby field.
So far, the only serious damage to the property is the alley. Mourant will understand the degree of erosion only when the water recedes.
“I thought the ridge was gone, it would start to go down, but it didn’t. It’s slowly rising, upgrading, I imagine, or I hope it’s leveling off right now.
THE PROVINCE IS LOOKING FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR ASSISTANCE IN THE FIRST NATION PEGGY
Stephenson said water was also starting to decline at Peguis First Nation, where floods have forced more than 1,500 people to flee their homes in Manitoba’s largest first-nation community.
Peguis First Nation chief Glenn Hudson had previously called for long-term infrastructure to help protect the community from future floods. Asked if there would be improvements in flood protection for Peguis First Nation, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Pivnuk said there should be federal support.
“We will have to work with our federal counterparts to make sure that they lead to opportunities to see what we can do – because we have to look at the whole region when it comes to the Pegis region,” Pivnyuk said.
He said the province’s recent financial disaster relief would help both individual Manitoba residents and communities affected by the floods. The program will provide financial assistance for certain disaster-related losses, such as non-insurance losses on fixed and underlying assets.
Add Comment