Floodwatch

THE ice now jamming the Red River should start moving by April 8 or 9, according to new data from Manitoba's flood office, and that could mean the floodway might open in less than a week. By then, though, the city could already get the first influx of water from the United States, meaning there's a reasonable chance the floodway won't be operational before the Red really starts rising. The crest expected from North Dakota is slated to hit Winnipeg by April 18.

New developments:

South of Winnipeg

IT was status quo Thursday for communities like Morris and Ste. Agathe that are racing to get ready for the Red's crest later this month. Work continued fortifying ring dikes, preparing disaster plans and getting things like rapid-response trailers equipped with the orange tubes called Tiger dams.

Winnipeg

THE city added another 20 homes to its list of those needing sandbagging and 20 more again were asked to hike their dikes by a foot.

That brings the total number of properties at risk in Winnipeg to 195 -- most on riverfront roads like Kingston Row, Turnbull Drive, Scotia Street and Cloutier Drive.

City flood engineer Grant Mohr said most of the new homes are on new locations, though -- along South Drive, North Drive and the tiny street of Seier Bay. Those are located between the two possible hot spots for ice-jams: Kingston Row and the South Perimeter Bridge. Mohr says he's confident that's all the properties at risk, as long as the province doesn't boost its flood forecast.

The city is hoping an army of volunteer sandbaggers sign up for weekend duty. An urgent call went out for baggers Thursday afternoon. People are asked to call the city's information line at 311 to register. From there, the city will schedule volunteers and parcel them out to homeowners.

You can also email your name and availability to 311@winnipeg.ca.

The city is also looking at the possibility of getting the Amphibex icebreakers into town, possibly as early as this weekend.

North of Winnipeg

THE rural municipalities north of Winnipeg, including St. Clements and St. Andrews, continued to dike homes at risk of flooding from ice jams. And they rushed to clear out frozen culverts and ditches to get them open before the weather warms and overland flooding becomes a risk.

Sandbagging volunteers are needed Friday and Saturday north of the city. Call 481-0739 for more information. Residents of communities north of Winnipeg who need sandbags can call 492-8969.

Dam us to Hell:

IT'S not a flood of biblical proportions, but Westboro Baptist Church is convinced God is punishing us for our sins. According to a press release Thursday from the controversial church from Topeka, Kan., God has sent "the flood waters to cover the evil people of Canada.''

The church -- which made headlines this summer when its members threatened to protest the funeral of Tim McLean, who was beheaded while on a Greyhound bus -- has even written a song to the tune of Red River Valley about our impending doom.

"From that valley you see God's wrath pouring/with flood waters all over that land/Manitoba's now swarming with perverts, God has smacked you with his righteous hand,'' is how the first verse begins.

Weather impact:

THE snow earlier this week is expected to start melting when the weather warms early next week. That would normally put pressure on the streams and rivers that feed the Red. But the water coming in from North Dakota is expected to be lower than predicted, so that leaves ample room for the Red to handle the overland run-off. Provincial flood forecaster Alf Warkentin has factored into his predictions a whopper of a rainstorm, just in case one happens over the next couple of weeks. If the city gets 25 millimetres of rain, that will bring flood levels just shy of the 1979 flood.

Flood facts:

MANITOBA Hydro has fired up its Selkirk power plant to help get the Red River flowing. The plant runs on natural gas but uses water from one of the Red's tributaries to create steam. The plant then flows that water back into the watershed.

Quote of the day

'If by some miracle the ice moves over the weekend, we can all breathe a sigh of relief'

-- Alf Warkentin, provincial flood forecaster

-- Mary Agnes Welch

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 3, 2009 A7