Battered Carman can weather next flood, mayor says

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This article was published 05/04/2017 (3075 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The town of Carman is bracing for more water surges even as it takes stock of weekend flood damage, but Mayor Bob Mitchell said the municipality is optimistic it will be able to absorb more water without sustaining additional damage.

Schools and roads were still closed Tuesday afternoon, one day after Carman was one of eight municipalities that registered states of local emergency with the province. The others were the municipalities of Prairie Lakes, Grassland, Brenda-Waskada, Dufferin, Grey, and La Broquerie and Two Borders.

“We expect two or three (more) surges of water, as water comes down river from the west,” Mitchell said.

Between 30 and 40 houses were affected by weekend flooding, he noted, and are expected to keep their sandbags out until the end of the month.

On Tuesday, the Highway 245 westbound was shut down so fire trucks could pump water over the highway and out of the town.

The highway was diked Sunday to limit damage to two condo developments that were flooding at the basement level.

One of the ice jams damaged a bridge, Mitchell said, and it has been closed as a result. “It may have to be replaced,” he added, but the town is still waiting for engineers to examine it.

Overland flooding continued Tuesday across sections of southern Manitoba, with the risk of flooding dropping in some areas but rising in others.

The province’s latest flood bulletin brought good news to Peguis First Nation, where more than 80 homes were forced to evacuate over the weekend because of ice jams. Water from the Fisher River has receded enough for the province to lift a flood warning for communities such as Peguis that are downstream of Dallas on the river.

The Red River is still nearing its crest, and the Red River Floodway continues to be operated in order to handle water levels within Winnipeg. The province still expects stable water levels at James Avenue this week. While water levels remain high on the lower Red River, they are starting to recede now that an ice jam in the Netley Creek area has released.

On Tuesday, the province issued a number of new alerts. The Pembina River at La Rivière is under a flood warning, while Pelican Lake is under a flood watch. Little Souris River near Brandon is now under a high water advisory after a substantial water level increase.

Fast-developing flood conditions are an ongoing concern, and the province is reminding people to be careful around moving water, as well as on rivers and lakes that appear to be frozen.

jane.gerster@freepress.mb.ca