Communities declare states of emergency

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This article was published 16/06/2022 (1568 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Heavy rain battered parts of Westman late Monday and much of Tuesday, resulting in washed-out roads, flooded basements and waterlogged fields throughout the region.

Brandon alone was hit with around 40 millimetres of precipitation, according to Environment Canada, causing the Assiniboine River’s water level to rise from 357.6 metres Monday afternoon to 358.3 metres around that same time on Wednesday.

This is why public spaces near the river such as Dinsdale Park, Queen Elizabeth Park and the Riverbank Discovery Centre grounds all endured a significant amount of flooding, said City of Brandon emergency manager Tobin Praznik.

“All of our retention ponds are quite full … and we’re trying to maintain them as much as possible,” Praznik said. “But over the next 24, 48 hours, we’re going to continue to pump those areas in anticipation for any future rain events.”

Praznik admitted that Brandon’s infrastructure wasn’t nearly as impacted as other areas of Westman — the municipalities of Elton, North Norfolk and Riverdale all declared states of emergency due to the rain.

“That gives us the power to close roads and to detour traffic to access private property if need be,” said Laura Gill, municipal emergency co-ordinator for Riverdale. “This is just to have those options available to us because of the extensive road closures that we had to do yesterday.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, Gill said the municipality had closed at least 15 roads within the municipality, although most of the main arteries and highways in that region remain intact.

Meanwhile, RM of Elton officials had closed at least 18 roads in their municipality as of Wednesday afternoon and used social media to implore local residents to drive safe and consult with resources like Manitoba 511 before travelling.

One of the worst hit communities in the region was Austin — located approximately 80 kilometres east of Brandon — which received more than 100 millimetres of rain within a 24-hour period, resulting in some culverts being washed away.

While these wet conditions are bad news for residents who live within these communities, they’re an absolute nightmare for rural residents like Bill Campbell, the president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, who runs a farm near Minto.

Following the massive downpour earlier this week, Campbell told the Sun that around 30 per cent of his seeded acres are now underwater, which spells trouble for the forthcoming harvest season.

“When that water is on the soil, it deprives the seeds of oxygen,” he said. “So if it lasts for very long, the overland flooding, it will essentially kill those seeds and they will not grow.”

This situation is especially frustrating for producers like Campbell, who just emerged from Manitoba’s second-wettest spring on record, which significantly delayed their ability to plant their crops in a timely fashion.

And after spending many extra hours trying to play catch-up, Campbell is disheartened to see all this hard work washed away because of some unwanted rain, knowing this year’s seeding deadline falls on Monday.

“We’ve played our cards, and we’ve got nothing left to play,” he said, explaining that some producers will have to think about either letting their land lay idle for the year or seeding alternative crops.

Manitoba’s most recent crop report, for the week ending June 14, stated the provincial seeding progress sits at 87 per cent, which is a markable step down from the 99 per cent completion rate from the same time last year.

The province is also estimating that more than 250,000 acres will be unplanted by the June 20 seeding deadline.

In terms of the forecast, Environment Canada is predicting that conditions will clear up Friday, with Saturday and Sunday being defined by a mix of sun and cloud.

However, Praznik implores Westman residents to remain vigilant as these flooded areas begin to recede, since the water levels for bodies like Assiniboine River are still concerning.

“For those out and about, realize that the river is quite high and the flow rates are quite high as well after receiving this rainfall over the past couple days,” he said.

“So please, be careful. Keep your pets away from these areas and just be mindful that these conditions are not favourable.”

» kdarbyson@brandonsun.com

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