Flood-ravaged Parkland region braced for more rain

WINNIPEG — Heavy rain was set to fall Tuesday night on the flood-ravaged region in western Manitoba in which more than 100 people had to be evacuated amid power outages and road washouts, which prompted officials to declare states of emergency.

Premier Wab Kinew was preparing to travel to the Parkland region after heavy rains battered the area near Duck Mountain Provincial Park, a spokesperson said.

The provincial Emergency Management Organization has been mobilized to co-ordinate the response, the premier said, and workers from the transportation and infrastructure department were assessing the damage to determine whether the floodwater can be pumped out of the area.

“I think one of the things that’s really top of mind is just ensuring … people, particularly in some of the rural areas outside Swan River and outside of Minitonas, have access to emergency services,” Kinew said.

“Some people have chosen to stay behind and keep an eye on the properties to make sure that they’re on site to fight the floodwaters, and I think part of our responsibility, among other cases, (is) to make sure that those folks can get to a hospital if needed.”

The province has been supplying sandbags and equipment such as tiger tubes and is co-ordinating with local governments to ensure the safe movement of seniors or persons with medical needs, a provincial spokesperson said.

Bill Gade, the reeve of Swan Valley West, said some residents are in panic mode.

“We’re trying to calm people down and kind of reassure them,” said Gade.

Swan Valley West and the Town of Swan River have issued states of emergency. About 150 residents have been evacuated from their homes in Swan Valley West and more are stranded at home owing to washed-out roads and highways, Gade said.

A potential dam breach in the Alpine region of Swan Valley West could unleash more flooding, he said.

Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure approved a request from Swan River and Swan Valley West to cut a portion of Highway 10 east of Swan River to drain the Tamarack Creek, which has caused much of the flooding in town. Cutting the highway will relieve pressure on the creek and help drain the water in Swan River.

On Monday, the Roaring River, a tributary of the Swan River, burst its banks and caused the Tamarack Creek to overflow. “The creek is just not big enough to handle this volume of water, and the water just had nowhere to go but into the town,” said Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson.

The province’s latest flood bulletin issued on Tuesday said the Parkland region could receive up to 70 millimetres of rain in the coming days.

A flood warning remains in effect.

Volunteers, firefighters, RCMP officers and provincial conservation officers began sandbagging in Swan River, located about 335 kilometres north of Brandon, when water flowed in to the south end of town at about 6 p.m. Monday.

“I was quite surprised to hear that, because if you would have asked me yesterday at this time, I would have said we never get flooding,” Jacobson said Tuesday. “(Residents) could not believe the volume of water that was pouring into the town.”

The Swan River Valley region was pounded by rain over the weekend, which caused significant overland flooding that has affected as many as 50 homes in the town of Swan River.

Jacobson estimates the area received 10 inches (255 mm) of precipitation in 48 hours.

Sandbagging continued into Tuesday morning to protect homes from further flooding. Jacobson said while the flooding has receded in some areas, other areas have accumulated knee-deep water.

“We’re working with residents in those areas … and communicate with them and the residents of the town, and just hope that we don’t see more rain,” he said.

Environment Canada’s thunderstorm outlook showed a high to extreme risk of thunderstorms in the Westman region Tuesday evening. The area could receive upwards of 75 mm of rain until Wednesday morning, meteorologist Matt Loney said.

A provincial flood warning for western Manitoba, including the Parkland region, is in effect. The Hydrologic Forecast Centre has issued an overland flood watch for parts of western, central and southeastern Manitoba, excluding areas already in a flood warning.

The neighbouring town of Minitonas was without power or sewer capacity Tuesday as it dealt with the aftermath of severe flooding. Power was restored to about 265 customers later Tuesday, Manitoba Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura said. A power line to Wellman Lake and the surrounding areas was being rebuilt Tuesday night, affecting about 170 customers, the spokesperson said.

The Municipality of Minitonas-Bowsman declared a state of emergency after the region recorded nearly 148 mm of rain from Sunday to Monday.

The municipality said on social media that parts of the community are still without power and the town’s sewer system shut down. Cellphone service for many residents has been spotty.

Minitonas resident Toni Hayes was preparing to make a roughly three-hour drive to Swan River, via back roads, to pick up packs of bottled water and other necessities. The drive normally takes about 15 minutes.

They gathered at a school but had to relocate to the arena for food, water and coffee after a gas leak was discovered, Hayes said.

She considered herself to be one of the fortunate ones in town because power had been restored to her home. Hayes said floodwater poured into her basement and flowed through her backyard.

“It was flowing (into the basement) like full force. As much as we were pumping out, that was what was coming in,” she said.

Minitonas residents have rallied around each other and pitched in, while the municipality faces a lengthy recovery.

Manitoba Hydro said damage to its infrastructure is severe and some areas are impossible or unsafe to access.

Chura said additional crews from Winnipeg, Brandon and Morden have been sent to the region to rebuild Hydro poles to restore power.

More than a dozen roads and highways are closed in the Swan River Valley owing to flooding or washouts. Rivers have spilled their banks and overflowed onto roadways, wiping out the pavement in some areas.

Will Dueck, who lives on a rural property between Swan River and Minitonas, says roads in both directions are washed out.

His property was spared from floodwater and still has power, but his neighbours whose properties are lower weren’t so lucky.

“It all depends on where you are, because it’s all downhill from (Duck Mountain). If you’re on the bottom of the soup bowl, that’s really bad,” he said. “People are just vigilant and hoping for the best. What else can you do?”

The Municipality of Roblin, 240 kilometres northwest of Brandon, asked residents to consider voluntary evacuation if conditions become unsafe.

Residents were asked to stay alert in the event the level of the Shell River increases, the municipality wrote on social media.

Swan River MLA Rick Wowchuk expects extensive damage to infrastructure and homes and called on the NDP government to take immediate action.

“People have experienced some traumatic things, they’ve experienced life-changing events,” Wowchuk said.

» Winnipeg Free Press, with files from Chris Kitching and The Canadian Press