Kenora, Ont., residents told to watch for possible flooding amid rising water levels
Residents in Kenora, Ont., were told to watch for the possibility of more flooding on Monday as water levels were projected to rise in the northwestern Ontario city that issued an evacuation order for certain areas last week.
Kenora Fire Chief Kent Readman said city staff were out monitoring road conditions and water levels, while contractors were raising local roads. The teams were working with various partners including the Ontario government and provincial police to keep everything "as controlled and organized" as possible.
"(We) are expecting water levels to continue to rise through Lake of the Woods and the Winnipeg River systems, and then that will affect other water systems in our area," Readman said in a phone interview on Monday.
"So at this point, it doesn't look like there's any real end in sight for this, unfortunately."
The rising water levels in the area prompted the city to issue an evacuation order on Friday. On Sunday it advised anyone with residences north of the Kenora bypass route to monitor their homes and watch for the possibility of flooding in their areas.
Readman said about 440 properties have had to be evacuated so far, with the total number of people having to leave their homes estimated to be in the few hundreds.
An evacuation centre has been set up in the community, but nobody had accessed it by Monday afternoon as the majority of people were staying with friends and families, in hotels, or sheltering in place at their homes, Readman said.
"I think a lot of people were somewhat prepared for this and have done a really good job of looking after themselves and their families," he said.
"I know there's some anxiety and some high stress levels out there, but overall, there's been a great group effort from a lot of different people and our residents are doing awesome, as well as they can, in a situation like this. So just working our way through it."
He noted that residents who evacuated from the evacuation order zone will not be able to return to their homes until there are "significant drops" in water levels and "the roads are safe for travel."
For now, he said, that's "up in the air," since some areas saw water levels increase by about 38 centimetres in a 24-hour period over the weekend.
"It's ranging between, some roads just getting a little bit of water overtop them, to our uppermost of (roughly 76 to 78 centimetres) at this point of water laying on top," he said.
In a notice Monday afternoon, the City of Kenora said contractors would begin work to raise road surfaces "in anticipation of rising water levels" on certain routes.
"Local access for residents will be maintained, however, delays are expected while work occurs," the city said.
Numerous First Nations and other communities in northern Ontario have also been affected by flooding.
Brent Ross, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Solicitor General, said the government has responded to declared emergencies in communities that include Kenora, Marten Falls First Nation, Naicatchewenin First Nation, Nigigoonsiminikaaning First Nation, Grassy Narrows First Nation, Red Lake, Emo and Fort Frances.
"The province will continue to collaborate closely with affected First Nation communities and municipalities, the federal government, and the NGO sector to ensure that all necessary resources are deployed to protect people impacted by flooding," Ross said in a written statement.
In Kenora, the city was encouraging residents to protect their homes with sandbags in areas not already evacuated and to act quickly to ensure they continue to have road access.
"Just keep monitoring things as time progresses," Readman said.
"Be aware that the water can rise really quickly. Like I said, we've seen (about 38 centimetres) of rise in one area basically overnight, so conditions can quickly change."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Doctors combine a pig kidney transplant and a heart device in a bid to extend woman's life
Doctors have transplanted a pig kidney into a New Jersey woman who was near death, part of a dramatic pair of surgeries that also stabilized her failing heart.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.