Red River is receding, more than 2,000 evacuees still displaced by Manitoba flood
While the Red River is starting to recede in southern Manitoba, flood waters linger in communities and more than 2,000 people are still displaced.
Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson, along with other officials with the province, took an aerial tour Sunday to view the impact the flooding has had on communities from a birds' eye view.
"I think what we can see certainly is that the river is starting to recede down in the Emerson area and I think we are looking at cresting in St. Adolph today," Stefanson told reporters after her flight.
The province confirmed the Red River peaked at Ste. Agathe, St. Adolphe and the Red River Floodway inlet on May 13. While it is stable or declining upstream of Winnipeg, the river is still expected to remain high likely into June.
However, the province said flooding continues in parts of the Interlake, Red River Valley and central and southern Manitoba. The flood waters have washed out many roads in the Parkland region.
Wab Kinew, leader of Manitoba's opposition party, was invited on the flight and said his thoughts and support are with those suffering from the flood.
"We saw homes, we saw communities impacted. We've seen the communities that have been evacuated in some cases, others that look like islands in the midst of a lake that normally would be the Red River," Kinew said.
Stefanson said the ring dikes preventing flooding in communities, however she said there is a lot of water covering farmlands and everything else in the southern Manitoba.
MORE THAN 2,000 EVACUEES REMAIN DISPLACED, HOMES DAMAGED
Johanu Botha, the head of Manitoba’s Emergency Management Organization, said there are currently 446 people evacuated from municipalities and just under 2,000 people evacuated from First Nations. The province said as of Sunday, 33 states of local emergency have been declared in Manitoba communities.
Stefanson said there will be more discussions with respect to the challenges the farmers and those displaced by floods will now face.
Michael Mourant lives just south of Winnipeg in the RM of Richot, where water from the neighbouring field has been covering the driveway to his home for several weeks.
"We use the tractor to get in and out, so we don't have to wear rubber boots because unless you wear hip waders, then you'll get water in your boots," he said.
Mourant's home has been in the family for decades, meaning he's experienced many floods, including the historic one in 1997. He's since made improvements to his property, like building a concrete wall to block water.
"We did the preparation hoping we wouldn't have to use it," said Mourant, who also has a pile of sand and bags ready to go if needed. Mourant said the whole situation can be quite stressful.
"If you're not living here watching it, you can have nightmares at night like my father does. He calls me and checks in every morning."
Mourant said heavy winds earlier in the week caused foot swells from the neighbouring field.
So far, the only serious damage to the property is the driveway. Mourant will only know the extent of the erosion when the water recedes.
"I've been thinking the crest is gone, it's going to start going down, but it hasn't. It's slowly going up, building, I imagine or hopefully levelling off right about now.
PROVINCE LOOKS TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR HELP IN PEGUIS FIRST NATION
Stefanson said waters are also starting to drop in Peguis First Nation – where flood waters forced more than 1,500 people from their homes in Manitoba’s largest First Nation community.
Peguis First Nation Chief Glenn Hudson has previously called for long-term infrastructure to help protect from future flooding the community. When asked if there will be any flood protection improvements for Peguis First Nation, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk said there needs to be federal support.
"We are going to have to work with our federal counterparts, making sure that they lead on opportunities to look at what we can do – because we have to look at the whole region when it comes to the Peguis region," Piwniuk said.
He said the province's recently announced a Disaster Financial Assistance will help both individual Manitobans and communities that have been impacted by the flood. The program will provide financial assistance for certain disaster-related losses, such as uninsurable losses to basic and essential property.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.