Flooding caused more than $1 million in damage to Manitoba community
One Manitoba community is facing more than $1 million in damage due to flooding, and it’s likely that number will continue to grow.
Chris Ewen, mayor of the Rural Municipality of Ritchot, said the community has already seen a significant amount of damage; however, there is still more that has yet to be assessed.
“The water is still significantly high and we have a lot of infrastructure under there,” he said in an interview on Saturday.
Ewen said the damage includes eroded roads, as well as agricultural complications.
“There’s a lot of damage, not just municipally -- it is agriculturally, it is residentially, it is provincially,” the mayor said.
EVACUEES RETURNING
Over the course of this year’s flood period, 232 evacuation notices were issued in the RM, with residents in 107 of these homes choosing to evacuate.
Now, Ritchot is in the process of bringing these families back home.
“Over the weekend, we’ll see about 10 to 15 homes get reoccupied. That’s great to see some families returning, getting out of those hotels or friends’ and families’ houses,” Ewen said.
The mayor added the reason some residents are able to return home is because the water levels are slowly going down.
“It’s nice to see the water coming down. It’s still a long way to go, another two-three weeks maybe, but at least we’re getting some families back into their homes,” he said.
Ewen said that people in the community are excited to have some relief, adding that even those who aren’t yet returning home feel better knowing the water isn’t getting any higher.
He said that before residents can return home, the municipality needs to do its due diligence and ensure that roads and driveways are safe.
EMERGENCY CENTRE GOES VIRTUAL
Due to decreased demand for evacuations, the community no longer needs a 24-hour, serviced operation centre.
“People can still call the online centre. They can still check in and see what’s going on with the flood updates. We have our online website as well,” Ewen said.
The mayor said the community is happy to be transitioning from dealing with rising water levels to now dealing with bringing people back home and working on repairs.
“Everybody was very generous with their time during the flood fight, and now it’s getting them back, and hoping they’re just as generous to help us all clean up our community, because people need it more than ever right now,” he said.
Those who want to help the RM of Ritchot with the flood clean-up efforts can contact the community to volunteer.
- With files from CTV’s Danny Halmarson.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stamp prices rise for the third time in five years amid financial woes for Canada Post
Canada Post is increasing stamp prices for the third time since 2019, a move the Crown corporation says is a "reality" of its sales-based revenue structure.
BREAKING Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, claims he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have told the court the accused unlawfully caused the death of four women, but argue he is not criminally responsible due to mental disorder.
WATCH Avian flu: Risk to humans grows as outbreaks spread, warns expert
H5N1 or avian flu is decimating wildlife around the world and is now spreading among cattle in the United States, sparking concerns about 'pandemic potential' for humans. Now a health expert is urging Canada to scale up surveillance north of the border.
Human remains were found at a former Hitler base, but decay prevents determining the cause of death
Polish prosecutors have discontinued an investigation into human skeletons found at a site where German dictator Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders spent time during the Second World War because the advanced state of decay made it impossible to determine the cause of death, a spokesman said Monday.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
Trump fined US$1,000 for gag order violation in hush money case as judge warns of possible jail time
The judge presiding over Donald Trump's hush money trial fined him US$1,000 on Monday for violating his gag order once again and sternly warned the former president that additional violations could result in jail time.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Russia warns Britain and plans nuclear drills over the West's possible deepening role in Ukraine
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.