Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger has ordered officials to prepare for a controlled breach of flood water as parts of the province face rapidly rising water levels along the Assiniboine River.
Selinger said the flood forecast worsened just hours after he declared a state of emergency earlier Friday.
“We are now looking at a higher crest and the water is moving more quickly than anticipated,” he said.
The Assiniboine River is expected to crest in Brandon tomorrow and Portage La Prairie on Tuesday.
“Preparations are under way for a controlled breach at the Hoop and Holler Bend to reduce the high possibility of an uncontrolled breach,” Selinger said.
It’s the same area where Selinger ordered a controlled breach in 2011, which at the time threatened 150 homes.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Forces will once again step in to help Manitoba residents cope with widespread flooding after a spring of heavy rainfall.
Members of the 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, based out of CFB Shilo, have been recalled to help with sandbagging efforts in Portage La Prairie, CTV’s Mercedes Stephenson reported Friday.
The 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry remains on standby.
Selinger said troops are needed to protect about 200 rural homes at risk of being deluged with water from the Assiniboine River.
Soldiers will help fill and distribute some 500,000 sandbags that will be used to hold off water around homes, Selinger said, adding that he has been in touch with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
"Additional assistance is required for our flood preparations," Selinger said. "These measures will allow our officials to take the necessary actions to help protect the safety, health and welfare of Manitobans."
Worse than 2011 flooding
Officials have warned residents that flooding could be worse than in 2011, when damage costs topped $360 million.
This season, the Assiniboine could rise a half-metre above its highest point during the 2011 floods.
Steve Ashton, Manitoba’s minister of emergency measures, said the province has been hit with “significant rainfall” over the past three months, with rainfall totals 200 per cent higher than normal.
The Assiniboine will carry that water through Brandon and then move towards Portage la Prairie. The key will be to fortify the dikes between Portage and Winnipeg and between Portage and Lake Manitoba, as well as maintain capacity through the Portage Diversion, which carries water from the Assiniboine into Lake Manitoba, he said.
“It’s a very significant challenge, but we’re putting in place any and all resources and that’s why we’ve called in the assistance of the military,” Ashton told CTV News Channel Friday afternoon.
The province is better prepared than in 2011, he said, “though we’re not taking anything for granted this time around.”
Water levels could crest in Brandon as early as Sunday. Local officials planned to send pre-evacuation notices to residents living both north and south of the Assiniboine.
Earlier this week, more than 100 communities in Saskatchewan and Manitoba declared states of emergency due to overland flooding that resulted from torrential rains last weekend. A late spring thaw had already made planting difficult for some farmers and the flooding means some crops will be lost with little chance of being salvaged.
The flooding forced about 300 people in Saskatchewan and more than 560 people in Manitoba out of their homes.
