‘You have to have a boat’: Flood battles continue throughout Manitoba and across U.S. border – Winnipeg
Flooding continues across Manitoba as communities across the province continue to work to protect – and in some cases, relieve damaged properties.
Clint Masse, owner of a popular tourist attraction in the St. Adolphe A Maze in Corn, speaking to 680 CJOB’s Begin He is doing the best he can in every situation.
“The restroom, they have six inches of water in there. Pumpkin barn, where you buy pumpkins, the floor is half covered. The welcome center had about 4 inches of water in it,” Masse said.
“This is where we want it to stop. It takes a lot of energy to get everything empty and quotes ready for the flood. ”
So far, at least, Masse said his home is dry, but it’s an ongoing job to check and make sure everything stays that way.
“The first thing you do in the morning is check in. You say, ‘Is that drain still sealed?’ We have some pumps, because a little bit of water seeps out, and you pass your finger.
“That’s why it’s so difficult to completely evacuate people when you’re in dike situations like ours.
“You have to have a boat and constantly paddle back and forth just to make sure your pump is working and you don’t have any major unexpected breaches.”
In the city of Winnipeg, 27 private properties are currently at risk of river flooding.
The city said on Tuesday that the crest of the Red River is expected to occur May 11-14 at the flood outlet, and although the province is operating the Portage flood drainage and diversion system to manage city water levels, but there are still some properties at risk.
Of those properties, 17 have been told by city officials that they should build a levee by Friday, while another 10 are being recommended to build one as needed. Guidance is being provided directly to owners of affected properties.
The city said it anticipates needing about 29,000 sandbags.
Across the Canada/US border in North Dakota, which often serves as a foretaste of what’s to come to Manitoba as far as the Red River, high water levels continue to cause problems, but not – so far – at historical level.
Grand Forks public official John Bernstrom said the city has seen the top of the Red River three or four times this spring.
“At Grand Forks this morning, our river is now just over 45 feet high,” Bernstrom told 680 CJOB.
“Just to give some perspective, our flood stage is 28 feet. In 1997, we were 54 feet tall, so we’re well below that.”
The water is affecting the city’s infrastructure, he said, with two of the three Grand Forks bridges across the Red out of service.
“We have three bridges over Red here in Grand Forks…. We down one. We’ll be down a bridge for a while.
“We’re fine with the position of the water and we just want it to start going down. We don’t need to catch up too much, but just get over this here. “
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