Community cut off after flooding washes out roads in western Manitoba
Flooding that has washed out many roads and bridges in western Manitoba has cut off one community from the outside world.
"We can't get out of here at all," Robert Hanson said Monday from Mafeking, a community of 130 residents.
Bridges to the north and south of Mafeking were severely damaged by heavy rain late last week that combined with melting snow in and around Duck Mountain Provincial Park.
"Such high water came out of there, it just washed out everything in its path," said Hanson, who is reeve of the Rural Municipality of Mountain, which includes Mafeking and some other hard-hit communities.
Another highway to the west has sections that are under water.
"We've got washouts all over the place."
Mafeking's ambulance station has been closed because the ambulance was outside the community when the bridge washed out and cannot get back. Anyone needing medical care will have to be taken out by helicopter.
In other communities, roads, bridges and culverts were washed out. There were at least three provincial bridges severely damaged and many municipal roads inundated.
"It's been very devastating in that region," said Doyle Piwniuk, minister for emergency measures.
Hanson said he and others in Mafeking might be able to leave in three days when a bridge to the north is expected to reopen.
The flooding in western Manitoba is the latest disaster to hit the province, which has been dealing with high water for weeks.
In the central region, more than 1,800 people from the Peguis First Nation are still out of their homes due to the swollen Fisher River.
South of Winnipeg, the Red River has started to recede but still resembles a vast lake in many areas, covering farmland and roads. A section of Highway 75, the main link between the provincial capital and the United States, remained closed.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Live updates: What star witness in Trump hush money case has said on the stand so far
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
When you have a moment's notice to evacuate, what do you take?
Knowing what to have at home, or take with you for an evacuation, can be useful and even life-saving.
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.’s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease’s progression.
Canucks' Soucy suspended 1 game, Zadorov fined $5,000 for post-game crosschecks on McDavid
A Vancouver Canucks defenceman has been suspended for a game and another was handed a hefty fine after a scrum broke out at the end of Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers Sunday night.
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sues for defamation over National Enquirer, InTouch Weekly stories
'Judge Judy' Sheindlin sued the parent company of the National Enquirer and InTouch Weekly on Monday for a story that she said falsely claimed that she was trying to help the Menendez brothers get a retrial after they were convicted of murdering their parents.
Wildfire smoke drifts across Canada, over parts of U.S., prompting air quality advisories
Air quality advisories are in effect across Western Canada as smoky conditions plague some areas, according to the latest forecasts. Here's where.
'A great victory for the industry': Taxi drivers celebrate ruling that found City of Ottawa negligent in allowing Uber to operate
An Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled that the City of Ottawa was negligent in its enforcement of the city's taxi bylaw when it allowed Uber to begin operating in 2014, harming the city's established taxi industry.