Hundreds of Roseau River residents headed home

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/04/2009 (6029 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Several hundred residents from Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation are headed home today after the flood threat to their community lessened.

Over 600 residents of the first nation, about 90 kilometres south of Winnipeg, had been bused into Winnipeg over the last week for fears the flood waters would take out the road to the reserve leaving them stranded.
 

But Curtis Smith, spokesman for the Manitoba Association of Native Firefighters which oversaw the evacuation, said the winter storms which hit changed the timeline of when the water might go over the road and there is no reason at the moment for everyone to stay in Winnipeg for the next two weeks.

"Everything has been pushed back by a couple of weeks," said Smith.

He said residents were anxious to go home and some had already returned to the community Tuesday leaving 522 Roseau residents still in Winnipeg hotels.

Elders, people who are chronically ill and need care like dialysis, and mothers with young children, will be kept in Winnipeg because it is difficult to evacuate them quickly said Smith.

That amounts to about 100 people.

Smith said the situation in Roseau will continue to be monitored and if another evacuation becomes necessary a decision will be made on a "day to day" basis.
 

mia.rabson@freepress.mb.ca