City still needs volunteers to work on dikes

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City workers inspect a dike on Scotia Street. Authorities put out another call for volunteers to help with flood efforts after Winnipeg and surrounding areas in the Red River valley were told Wednesday that this flood with be the second highest in the past 100 years. (JOHN WOODS / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

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Residents watch as floodwater gushes over the Ness Avenue bridge over the Sturgeon Creek in Winnipeg's Crestview neighborhood on Thursday. The swollen creek has forced bridges to close at Ness and Saskatchewan avenues. (JOE BRYKSA/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS)

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The state of emergency affects properties on the river side of the primary dike, indicated in red on the map. (CITY OF WINNIPEG)

The Red River appears to have crested in Winnipeg hours after Mayor Sam Katz signed an order declaring a state of emergency for some low-lying portions of the city.

Emergency Measures Organization Minister Steve Ashton told the legislature this afternoon the level of the Red River within the city of Winnipeg has already reached the crest previously predicted for Saturday,

"The current forecast indicates the Red River will crest in Winnipeg today," Ashton said.

Water levels at James Avenue are currently at 22.5 feet, he said.

The city needs more people this evening and Friday to volunteer, just in case dikes leak and require maintenance.

Volunteers are asked to call 311 to register and await instructions about where to go.

Ashton said Red River levels will gradually decline but will "remain above 20 feet until the middle of next week."

A state of emergency gives government additional powers to ensure flood-protection orders are carried out. It does not mean Winnipeg's population is at imminent risk.

The mayor signed the order shortly after 11 a.m. at the behest of emergency measures coordinator Randy Hull. It affects most properties along the city’s four rivers.

Declaring a state of emergency allows the city to carry out mandatory evacuations in the event conditions change quickly, Katz said.

"It’s basically a precaution, so I don’t want anyone to be alarmed," the mayor said outside his office, dressed in the jeans and sweatshirt he wore to help sandbag along Scotia Street this morning.

"In the past, we have had asked for voluntary evacuations, but I can tell you, the majority of times, when you ask for voluntary evacuations, no one leaves their homes and I understand why."

Christie Road in St. Vital and several homes on Bonner Avenue in North Kildonan are under voluntary evacuation orders.

No properties are imminently threatened on Christie Road, St. Vital councillor Gord Steeves said. The order is in place because water is on the road, which could pose transportation problems in the event of a medical emergency, Steeves said. Tube dikes protecting Christie Road street failed earlier this week.

Six homes on Bonner are also under a voluntary evacuation order, Coun. Jeff Browaty said.

City workers are also preparing to shore up a ring dike protecting a home that's located just north of the floodway gates.

This morning city officials became concerned when the clay dike protecting the home at 140 Turnbull Drive began being eaten away by the Red River on the east side. This afternoon city officials prepared to shore up the dike with crushed rock.

Winnipeg Fire Lieut. Michael Sparks said that two adults, three children and their dog had to be taken by boat from the ring dike to dry land.

"The water is depleting, or eroding the east side of their dike. There was a potential that if the dike had given away suddenly, this would have been a rescue, but we just had to ferry them off," he said earlier today.

A total of three Winnipeg properties have been evacuated because of dike failures, Winnipeg's emergency measures co-ordinator Randy Hull said. He declined to identify the properties because of security concerns.

In the Crestview neighborhood in west Winnipeg, the Sturgeon Creek has flooded, closing two roads last night and early this morning.

Bridges over the creek on Saskatchewan Avenue and Ness Avenue closed due to dangerous conditions. City crews are in both locations preventing vehicle and pedestrian traffic over the bridges,which will remain closed until further notice. Local traffic may still use the bridge over Hamilton Avenue or Portage Avenue.

And the city has completed building or raising sandbag dikes at approximately 100 properties along the Red, Seine and Assiniboine rivers.

The city needs more people this evening and Friday to volunteer, just in case dikes leak and require maintenance.

Volunteers are asked to call 311 to register and await instructions about where to go.

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