Over the weekend, Environment Canada recorded 40.6 millimeters of rain in Gimli, prompting the rural municipality to declare a state of emergency. Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure said the areas of Interlake and east of Lake Winnipeg received an average of 30 to 50 millimeters over the same period. “A lot of water is falling and it has flooded the sewer system and … we have flushed some roads and it is getting worse and worse,” said Mayor Lynn Greenberg. At the moment, no households have been asked to evacuate, but many see water seeping into their basements, he said. “People have never seen water like this in this area. We have never seen a spring like this where we had all this extra snow,” Greenberg said. “It was just hopeless. But we have to face it.” A road looks washed up in Fraserwood, a town just west of Gimli, Man. (Submitted by Drenna Campbell)
Greenberg credits the public works crew and hires contractors who work “night until dark.” South of Gimli on Winnipeg Beach, the mayor and council have declared a state of emergency to deal with a gutter system that has been a problem piece of infrastructure for the past decade. The county-owned system uses three culverts and drains into the marina and lake, but Mayor Tony Pimentel says the water is not moving fast enough. “To get in there and do the work of removing these culverts to allow a faster flow, we needed to declare a state of emergency. In addition, we can now access funds that do not have a budget for events like this.” Pimentel hopes something can be done after the city recovers from the floods, as it had to declare a state of emergency three times in 12 years, in part because of culverts. “We have to go back to the countryside and look to continue working to find a better solution for this location because … what we have does not favor the weather as we have in recent years. “ The town of Bifrost-Riverton also declared a state of emergency on Sunday, urging people to stay away from all public roads. “The water level continues to flush over roads, with many roads to be closed for safety, we are not able to block every road at the moment and we ask for all unnecessary trips to be postponed,” the municipality said in a post. on Facebook. . School bus services are also canceled.

The first nations of Interlake were hit by floods

North of Gimli and Winnipeg Beach, the first two nations in Interlake are also facing significant flood challenges. In the Peguis First Nation, which is in a local state of emergency, the water level is slowly rising and spreading to low areas. In some areas, land is flooded by ice accumulation at the mouth of the Fisher River, Interlake First Nation said in a Facebook post. Vehicles cross a flooded road in the Peguis First Nation. As of Sunday, six households are surrounded by Tiger Dams and there is a boiling water notice for members not on the main water line. (Peguis First Nation / Facebook)
As of Sunday, six households have Tiger Dams surrounding them and a boiling water tip is in place for those not on the main water line. In neighboring Fisher River Cree Nation, also in a state of emergency, students from both local schools are being asked to stay home. “Classes will be canceled so that children can stay safely at home with their families. Teachers have started preparing work packages for those who would like to have homework for their children,” a statement posted on First Nation’s page said. Facebook. A drone captures the panoramic view of the Fisher River Cree Nation after a weekend of heavy rainfall. As of Saturday, seven houses were protected by tiger dams, such as the one pictured. (Submitted by Jeremy Neault)
“We do not expect a return to normal operations until the flood threat is lifted.” Houses with wells affected by floodwaters are encouraged to boil their water before use. The county says a ground flood warning still applies to Interlake, as most ditches and waterways are either full or almost full.