WINNIPEG -- The RM of Piney has declared a state of emergency as flooding caused by torrential rainfall continues to wash out roads and put homes at risk of flooding in southern Manitoba.
On Wednesday morning, the RM announced that as of June 9 it has declared a local state of emergency, saying its efforts are focused on saving roads that are still passable. It said if roads have been washed out, they will not be prioritized as crews work to save existing ones.
"The situation overnight has not improved," the RM said on its website. "The RM of Piney staff understand the significant impact this is having on residents and we are doing our best to cope with the situation."
Wayne Anderson, the reeve of the RM of Piney, said the state of emergency was called because of the amount of rain that fell in a short period of time.
"We declared a statement of emergency due to the overland flooding. It is damaging our roads. We don't know what extent this is going to play out," said Anderson.
He added that he expects the state of emergency to be in place for the next week.
Anderson said no one has been evacuated yet, but the RM continues to monitor the situation.
"Our RM is a little more fortunate that a lot of houses are on higher land," he said. "Most of the damage is to the roads because they wind through lower areas."
He added some homes have only one access point to their property and the RM has been in contact with those owners, but Anderson said the owners have decided to stay for the time being.
The RM encourages residents in the area to contact the RM office or Richard Gamble, the emergency coordinator, if their home or well-being is affected by roads and weather conditions.
The RM said it is working with provincial agencies to assess the risks to residents in the area.
Anderson said he has never seen a flooding incident like this in the RM before and he is encouraging residents to not go out to see the damage and to stay home and stay safe.
More information can be found on the RM of Piney website.
MANDATORY EVACUATIONS CONTINUE IN STUARTBURN
This state of emergency comes as mandatory evacuations continue in the RM of Stuartburn.
The following addresses are required to leave due to potential danger caused by flooding:
- 14036 RD 43E
- 14148 RD 43E
- 14162 RD 44E
- 14127 RD 44E
- 44075 RD 14N
- 15033 RD 44E
- 15038 RD 44E
The order was given on Wednesday morning, after the first evacuations were ordered Tuesday night.
READ MORE: Evacuation notice issued for part of RM of Stuartburn due to flooding
Lucie Maynard, who is the chief administrative officer for the RM, said the situation has not improved.
"We've had to do a bit of aqua damming in the community of Vita. So we had some water going over some mile roads nearby causing some concern for the town here," said Maynard.
She added transportation is also becoming a problem in the community.
"I think right now the biggest concern is access. A lot of the roads have flood water over them, so the travel is obviously not advised and in some cases, they're impassable. So when you are down to only one exit you kind of need to tell the members just to leave."
She added some people are choosing to stay because they have livestock but Maynard said they have to know the risks and that services like EMS will not be able to get to them.
Maynard said more than 80 people have been impacted by the evacuation notice. If people don't have someone to stay with, she said they are being advised to go to the Days Inn in Steinbach.
She said the good news is no other houses have been overtaken by floodwater, besides the original four, which were reported on Tuesday.
More information can be found on the RM of Stuartburn Facebook page.
ROAD CLOSURES
The province said Highway 203, between Woodridge and Garrick, is closed as of Wednesday morning due to overland flooding.
The road closures come as southeastern Manitoba continues to deal with flooding following significant rainfall in the region since the weekend.
On Monday, Highway 210, from the junction of Highway 12 to Rat River, was closed due to flooding. It is still listed as closed on Manitoba 511 as of Wednesday morning.
(Flooding in the RM of Stuartburn. CTV News Photo Mike Arsenault)
-with files from CTV’s Mike Arsenault, Devon McKendrick and Charles Lefebvre
