Local State of Emergency declared in Morden

A local State of Emergency has been declared in Morden due to ongoing flooding in the area.

Several streets in the city are completely covered with water and officials are telling people to avoid Deadhorse Creek, as water is rising over the banks.

Morden Mayor Brandon Burley said around 50 homes were issued evacuation orders.

“Some didn’t leave right away and then called back in later to request assistance getting out,” said Burley, who added the higher the water rises, the harder it is for emergency crews to help with the evacuation.

He said one community was already isolated because a bridge was damaged last weekend and now the makeshift road is softening up and he said there is no guarantee that crews can get into that neighbourhood to help.

The city is giving residents sandbags to protect their properties and the Southern Emergency Response Committee has opened an Emergency Operations Centre in Morden.

“If you are in Morden, please respect the barricades that have been set up on the roadways – they are meant to block access to potentially hazardous area,” the committee said in a tweet online.

Burley said officials are still waiting to see how much rain the area receives to determine how severe the situation will end up being.

“There’s still a lot of volume of liquid and moisture in the water shed. If we get that plus what we are supposed to get over the next 24 to 48 hours, we’re going to have a real problem on our hands.”

He noted there has been limited property damage so far and he is calling on residents to be safe and trust officials and the work they are doing.

The city said the decision to call a local State of Emergency was to allow for the necessary actions to deal with the “significant weather event.”

If people are requiring sandbags, they are told call 204-362-3986.

More details will be provided when they become available.