A number of communities at Interlake in Manitoba are dealing with floods, collapsing roads and a state of emergency after the third heavy rain in so many weeks.
Over the weekend, Environment Canada recorded 40.6 millimeters of rain in Gimli, prompting the village council to declare a local state of emergency. Manitoba’s transportation and infrastructure said the Interezero and east of Lake Winnipeg received an average of 30 to 50 millimeters over the same period.
“A lot of water is coming down and it’s just overloading the drainage system and … we’ve had some roads washed away and it’s getting worse and worse all the time,” said Mayor Lynn Greenberg.
No households are currently being asked to evacuate, but many see water entering their basements, he said.
“People have never seen water like this in this area. We have never seen a spring like the one where we had all this extra snow,” Greenberg said.
“It was just hopeless. But we have to deal with it.”
A blurred road can be seen in Fraserwood, a municipality just west of Gimli, Man. (Submitted by Drena Campbell)
Greenberg acknowledged the public works team and hired contractors for working “night to dark.”
South of Gimli in Winnipeg Beach, the mayor and council have declared a state of emergency to deal with a gutter system that has been a problematic part of infrastructure for the past decade.
The provincial-owned system uses three gutters and drains into the marina and lake, but Mayor Tony Pimentel says the water is not moving fast enough.
In order to be able to get in there and do the work of removing these gutters, to allow a faster flow, we had to declare a state of emergency … Plus, now we can also get access to funds that we did not provide in budget for events like this. “
Pimentel hopes something can be done after the city recovers from the floods, because they have had to call for a state of emergency three times in 12 years, partly because of the gutters.
“We will have to go back to the countryside and look to continue working to find a better solution for this location, because … what we have is not conducive to the weather we have had in the last few years. “
Bifrost-Riverton Municipality also declared a state of emergency on Sunday, asking people to deviate from all municipal roads.
“Water levels continue to wash away over roads, with many roads that need to be closed for safety, we are not able to barricade every time at the moment and demand that all minor trips be postponed,” the municipality said in a statement. on Facebook .
The routes of the school bus have also been canceled.
The first Interlake nations affected by the floods
North of Gimli and Winnipeg Beach, the first two nations in Interestero also face significant flood challenges.
At Peguis First Nation, which is under local emergency, water levels are slowly rising and spreading to low-lying areas.
Land floods are occurring in some areas from the accumulation of ice at the mouth of the Fisher River, the Interlake First Nation said in a Facebook post.
Vehicles drive through a flooded road in Peguis First Nation. As of Sunday, six households are surrounded by Tiger dams, and for members who are not on the main water line, there are tips for boiling water. (Peguis First Nation / Facebook)
As of Sunday, six households have been surrounded by the Tiger Dam, and for those who are not on the main water line, a warning is in place to boil the water.
In the neighboring nation of Fisher River Cree, also in a state of emergency, students at both local schools have been asked to stay at home.
“Classes will be canceled so that children can stay safely at home with their families. “Teachers have started preparing homework packages for those who would like to have school work for their children,” reads a statement posted on the First Nation’s Facebook page.
The drone captures a bird’s eye view of the Fisher River Cree nation after a weekend of torrential rain. As of Saturday, seven houses have been protected by tiger dams, like the one in the photo. (Submitted by Jeremy Neault)
“We do not expect a return to normal operations until the threat of floods has been removed.
Homes with wells affected by floods are encouraged to boil their water before use.
The province says the land flood warning is still in place for Interlake, as most ditches and waterways are either full or close to capacity.
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