Six more communities declare local states of emergency in Manitoba

The Municipality of Emerson-Franklin has joined a growing list of communities that have declared local states of emergency due to flooding.

The province said as of Tuesday evening, six more communities had declared local states of emergencies since Monday. In total, 24 communities currently have the measure in place.

Among those communities is the Municipality of Emerson-Franklin, which declared its state of emergency Monday evening due to overland flooding. In a statement the municipality said forecasted peak levels on Red River at Emerson are expected to peak in the second week of May, with levels similar to 2009.

The community, which is located south of Winnipeg near the Canada-U.S. border, said potential evacuees have been notified.

"Residents are reminded to not travel through water that is over the roads as the road may be washed out under the water," a statement from the municipality reads. "Provincial crews are deployed to Emerson and Dominion City running pumping operations, as well as implementing ring dike closures."

It said a sandbag filling station has been set up at the Municipal Public Works Shop at PR 201, Dominion City.

The province said the six additional communities that declared states of local emergencies as of Tuesday evening include:

• The Municipality of Norfolk Treherne
• The RM of Whitemouth
• The RM of Woodlands
• The RM of Emerson-Franklin
• The RM of Coldwell
• The RM of MacDonald