Souris rallies to save town

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2011 (5429 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SOURIS — Souris residents were left scrambling as another 42 homes faced orders to evacuate by 4 p.m. Monday afternoon.

A total of 65 houses in the town have now been vacated as a safety measure while rising flood water from the Souris River threatens the community.

Liliana Rodriguez and her family worked all weekend and most of Monday to empty their home. The property backs onto the Souris River, which continues to rise closer to their back door.

"We are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," she said in her front yard, between carrying loads to her van. She was standing near parts of a floating dock that had been moved onto their front lawn.

Her husband and two children stayed home Monday to help move out.

Rodriguez said it was hard to know what to take first, but they made sure they had room for keepsakes like photos and favourite toys from when the kids were younger.

"For the kids, I try to stay as calm as possible. It is what it is, but family is what matters."

A sandbag dike will line her backyard between the home and the water line, and a secondary dike will soon be placed on the street in front of the house. She watched as Manitoba Hydro employees marked and raised power lines so that taller, heavier trucks could move onto her street to build new water barriers.

She was overcome with emotion when she described how her house would soon sit inside of a dike.

"There will be another one in front of our house on the street, so hopefully our house can help save some of the others," she said, her voice cracking. "A house is just a house, right?"

But the fresh paint and empty rooms of Rodriguez’ first floor tells a different story. The family was leaving in a matter of hours, and could only hope it would be there when they returned.

"Even now I am bringing our fall clothes, because who knows when we will get back?"

Rodriguez broke down when she spoke of the kindness of neighbours, friends and even strangers who helped them prepare to pack up.

She said on Saturday they had to turn people away because there wasn’t enough room for all the help they had.

Margaret Sutter lives even closer to the water. Her home’s walkout basement normally opens to an immaculate garden, but parts of it were already consumed by the river. Her daughter was working to save some of its plants before they are overtaken by water.

Sutter’s son-in-law, Bob Durston, came from Neepawa to help move Sutter to his home. A quick tour around the yard showed it was a proud home in crisis.

He pointed to the white tin roof of her backyard shed, which was visible under a few inches of water. An elm tree beside it had a board nailed to it, about 50 cm from the top of the rising water. The wood marked the levels of 1976 flood. He said the wall of sandbags in the backyard was erected when water threatened in April.

"We left it, and it’s proven just as well because the water’s banging up against it now," he said.

A few people wandered into the yard to offer help or space in their own homes for storage. He said the Southwest Cougars Midget AAA hockey team showed up on the weekend to move Margaret’s belongings — including her piano.

Durston said it was hard for the whole family to deal with uprooting Margaret and her late husband’s beloved garden, but they could deal with the loss of landscaping if it meant better chances for the house. Coloured stakes in a flower bed mark where a new dike will be built.

"We said, ‘You do what you have to do,’" he said. "It’s either that, or we kiss the house goodbye."

Souris emergency co-ordinator Sven Kreusch said Monday the town has eight separate stations set to organize different aspects of the flood fight, from sandbags to volunteers and machinery. He said the key focus in Souris is to secure its water treatment plant. Workers are widening and raising its dike to protect the water supply.

"That is our main push because if it gets flooded, all of Souris will have to be evacuated," Kreusch explained.

He said storms and overflow caused the town to shut off water for a short time this weekend, and assured that it is still safe to use and drink.

While Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation looks after Souris’ Highway 22 traffic bridge, the town has done all it can for Souris’ other bridge — its famed swinging bridge — which is in danger from the rising river.

The bridge’s cables have been pulled taut so that it has a better chance to withstand any water. It currently sits blocked off, high above its normal perch. Kreusch said there are no additional plans for the bridge, and it may not be out of the water’s reach.

But as with every aspect of the flood preparations, Kreusch said everything depends on how high the water really goes.

The river is expected to crest in Souris July 6-10.