Flood fears recede in Winnipeg; states of emergencies declared outside city

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This article was published 02/04/2017 (3139 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Flood fears were ratcheted down in Winnipeg on Sunday as city crews and the weather worked together but the situation remained tense for much of southern Manitoba.

“Things are going very well,” said City of Winnipeg spokesman Ken Allen. On Sunday, Environment Canada forecast some good news — sunshine and above-normal temperatures for most of the week — that will help the city’s flood planning and operations.

“The situation has stabilized,” Allen said, issuing an update based on the forecast from the province, the operation of the Red River Floodway and ice conditions. 

Outside the city, however, it was a different story.

Overland flooding in southern Manitoba worsened because of ice jams throughout drainage systems. Ice jammed up major rivers and smaller tributaries, Manitoba Infrastructure’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre said in a news bulletin Sunday.

Swan River declared a state of local emergency as the river level increased due to an ice jam. Carman was challenged by ice jamming on the Boyne River and surface run-off affected some homes. Carman declared a state of emergency Sunday.

The Prairie Rose School Division announced Sunday that Carman Elementary and Carman Collegiate would be closed today due to the state of emergency and overland flooding in Carman and the RM of Dufferin.

Netley Creek was high as ice jamming on the Red River slowed down the creek from draining into the river.

As of Sunday evening, there were five states of emergency registered with Manitoba EMO: the municipalities of Dufferin, Grey, La Broquerie, and Two Borders and the town of Swan River.

High-water advisories were in effect for the Overflowing, Valley and Vermillion rivers.

The province had partial ring dikes underway or completed at three communities south of the city: Gretna, St. Adolphe and Brunkild. The province said it expected Highway 75 to the U.S. to remain open, though it would build a ramp north of Morris as a precaution.

Flood watches were in effect for the Turtle, Woody, Whitemud, Red Deer and Whitemouth rivers, along with Birdtail Creek.

Flood warnings were in effect for Swan River at the community, Fisher River near Dallas, Red River and Netley Creek near Petersfield due to ice jamming, the Morris River and Pipestone Creek.

Sunday’s flow in the Red River Floodway, which began operating Friday morning, was 16,663 cubic feet per second (471 cubic metres per second), an increase of almost 5,000 cfs since Saturday, the province said.

The water level at James Avenue in Winnipeg decreased 0.3 feet overnight to 19.1 feet Sunday, close to the predicted level. Levels at James Avenue are expected to stay around 19 feet for the next few days. The Red River in Winnipeg is expected to crest Tuesday or Wednesday.

On Sunday, 25 homes in Winnipeg that had been identified as needing sandbag dikes for flood protection were ready for high water, city officials said.

“Our crews were working very closely with the property owners who are affected by the current river levels and all the sandbag dikes that needed to be constructed (Saturday) had been completed… and are ready to hold back water if that’s required,” spokesman Ken Allen told media gathered at the city’s water and waste department on Pacific Avenue.

Another 25 properties that weren’t immediately required to build sandbag dikes remain on standby “as a cautionary measure,” said Chris Carroll, the city’s manager of wastewater services.

“Weather conditions can change and it’s important that we continue to monitor and pay close attention to the weather and the river levels,” Carroll said. 

“The city is very well-prepared to deal with the river conditions we are seeing today.”

Crews were busy overnight producing more sandbags, said Allen. 

“We have now replenished the city’s stockpile of sandbags and have 60,000 additional sandbags on hand,” Allen said. “If additional sandbags are required at properties, we can respond very quickly and get those sandbags out to locations within half an hour if needed.”

The city encouraged people to check for updates via its website — winnipeg.ca — and social media. 

Up-to-date flood information for outside Winnipeg can be found at www.gov.mb.ca/flooding/ or on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MBGov. 

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca