Over 80 homes evacuated on Manitoba First Nation due to flooding on ice-clogged river

The Manitoba government says five states of local emergency have been registered with the province due to overland flooding, much of which is due to melting ice which blocks the flow of rivers.

Hudson says crews in the community have been using heavy equipment to clear ice on the river, and that the water level appears to be stable.

“It’s about staying the same right now, I think, with the work being done on the river where we’re clearing ice jams and that sort of thing, we’re hoping that it will recede,” Hudson said Sunday.

Winnipeg was also bracing for high water as the weekend approached. The Red River Floodway was opened to channel water around the city, and sandbags were placed to protect 25 properties on Saturday with another 25 told to be ready to do the same.

On Sunday, the city said river levels had stabilized overnight, but it still requested those 25 properties that weren’t immediately required to build sandbag dikes to remain on standby.

The city said it has 60,000 sandbags ready to go, if required.

The province reported that a number of highways were closed due to the flooding and it warned motorists to avoid driving through moving water.

“The water depth can be unpredictable and current can push vehicles off the road,” a statement from the province warned.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Over 80 homes evacuated on Manitoba First Nation due to flooding on ice-clogged river

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