Financial help available for residents of flood-ravaged communities: premier

STONEWALL — As residents continue to clean up the mess left behind by historic rainfall amounts earlier this week, the Manitoba government announced it is extending its Disaster Financial Assistance Program across the province.

Anyone who has been affected by flooding over the last few days will be eligible for compensation through the program, Premier Wab Kinew said Thursday.

“Start with your insurance first and see what your insurance will cover, but from there reach out to local municipal leaders and the provincial government will be there to ensure that you get the help that you need,” Kinew said in Stonewall, where he was assessing the damage left by 255 millimetres of rain Tuesday night.

The premier followed his tour of flood-ravaged western Manitoba Parkland region Wednesday with stops in inundated Interlake communities Thursday.

He did not say how much money is being set aside for the program, which covers costs of uninsurable losses and emergency-response efforts.

Flash flooding Sunday in the Parkland region was triggered by what Environment Canada called a one-in-a-200 year rain event. Nearly 150 millimetres of rain fell in one night in Minitonas.

Kinew said the province would treat both storms as one event.

“I want to be very clear: no one in rural Manitoba is going to be left behind,” he said.

A Stonewall resident whose basement flooded says she can’t imagine not being covered by insurance.

Kim, who declined to give her last name, was quick to get an offer from her insurance company after water poured into her home Tuesday night.

She was at work when she got a text from her daughter saying water was starting to seep into the floors.

“I was telling my kids to stay downstairs because there’s tornado warnings, but there’s flooding in the basement,” she said. “I got home, and at that point, the sump pump couldn’t keep up with the amount of water that was coming in.”

The water in the basement got to a depth of about 10 centimetres. Since then, she has been ripping up the floorboards and baseboards, which “were peeling off like tissue paper.”

“I want to be very clear: no one in rural Manitoba is going to be left behind.”

“I don’t know what it’s going to cost to fix, but I can’t imagine being denied coverage,” she said. “You work so hard for something only for it to be ruined and then you’re denied insurance.”

Municipal infrastructure in town was holding as of Thursday, but the Stonewall Quarry Park recreation area is closed for the foreseeable future.

The park features a man-made lake, splash pad, arts centre, museum, walking trails, baseball diamonds and campground.

Park manager Kelly Kimball said some mischievous residents tried to bring kayaks and canoes into the flooded area, which staff have jokingly named “Quarry Park Lake.”

“We went out with a pedal boat yesterday and picked up all the garbage that we could from the garbage cans that floated away,” Kimball said. “It has definitely been an adventure.”

Mayor Sandra Smith said crews from two local businesses had offered their services and would be going around town to offer pickups of waterlogged flooring and carpet that needed to be thrown away.

A portion of Highway 7 northeast of Stonewall was cut to drain some of the pooling water in the area. A section of Highway 221 in the RM of Rosser was also cut open to relieve some pressure. Manitoba Hydro’s Dorsey Converter Station is nearby.

Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura said the utility is monitoring the situation, but non-essential staff have been asked to work at other locations. The facility continues to operate and there is no impact on service to customers.

On Tuesday the province had to cut a section of Highway 10 outside Swan River to relieve some of the pressure built up in the Tamarack Creek that had flooded the community Sunday night. Highway 83 east of Swan River at the Tamarack Creek was later opened to help accelerate the release of backed-up water.

Outside of Stonewall, the RMs of Rockwood, Rosser and Woodlands continued to clean up after Tuesday’s deluge. All three municipalities declared states of emergency.

A street of 11 houses on Son Crescent in Grosse Isle, a community 30 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg in the RM of Rosser, remained without power Thursday afternoon.

“You work so hard for something only for it to be ruined and then you’re denied insurance.”

Resident Judy McGuirk said each house has to be pumped out before electricians can come in and assess for Hydro capabilities.

Hydro is asking customers who may have damage to the overhead service mast on their property to contact a licensed electrician as soon as possible to make repairs, which will allow the utility to complete re-energizing the property.

Longtime Grosse Isle resident Les Lillebo said the storm was a once-in-a-generation event.

“First in my lifetime,” said the 82-year-old.

Lillebo was one of a few residents on Son Crescent that needed to be rescued by boat. There was a knock at the door Wednesday at about 5 a.m. Wednesday, and he was advised to evacuate

He sarcastically told emergency crews to come back with a boat.

They did.

“They sent it right up to the door. I stepped out of the house and into the boat,” he said.

He and more than a dozen of his neighbours were taken to the Grosse Isle community hall, which is on higher ground and has been set up with portable toilets and a reception centre.

He spent most of Thursday pumping water out of his yard and crawl space. His front deck collapsed and detached garage will need repairs, as well.

RM of Rosser CAO Larry Wandowich said water is slowly moving from the RMs of Woodlands and Rockwood into Rosser, which could compromise more roads and highways.

Some of that water is also heading for the RM of St. Andrews, which was also flooded Tuesday night, according to mayor Joy Sul. The municipality declared a state of emergency Wednesday.

The communities of Petersfield, Clandeboye and Dunnotar were hit the hardest. About 50 homes in the area were flooded, as was the RM office in Clandeboye. The municipality has since issued a voluntary evacuation order.

“It’s Mother Nature just doing its thing,” Sul said.

Flood warnings remain in effect for several communities between Winnipeg and Lake Winnipeg, including Stonewall, Woodlands, Inwood, Petersfield and Selkirk.

Kinew said the flooding will be added to last year’s record wildfires and mass evacuations as the provincial government works on future disaster plans.

“We are seeing our climate changing. It’s having a real-world impact on our way of life,” he said.

nicole.buffie@freepress.mb.ca