The next two days in Manitoba will be crucial to weathering the floodwaters threatening communities along the Assiniboine River, officials say.
"The key time period is almost definitely going to be over the next 48 hours," Manitoba’s Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. He said the surge of water coming down the Assiniboine will be most difficult to contain at Portage La Prairie, a key bend in the river.
"We have to make sure that we can flow it through," he said.
The Assiniboine River crested in Brandon, Man. on Sunday, and while the dikes there have held, the water has surged downstream to threaten a number of communities. More than 700 residents have been forced from their homes and 55 communities have declared local states of emergency ahead of the approaching flood. The floodwater surge is expected to push through Portage La Prairie around noon tomorrow, and military personnel and volunteers have built barriers and dikes to contain it. They've also constructed an emergency release point at Portage La Prairie in case the water volume threatens to break the dikes along the river.
"It is there in terms of a last resort," Ashton said.
That emergency release point is just 300 metres from lawyer Danny Kreklewich's home, where he's avoided damage from the flood thus far. But Kreklewich says if the province’s efforts divert floodwaters onto his property, he'll consider legal action.
"This entirely falls on (Manitoba Premier) Greg Selinger and his cabinet," Kreklewich told CTV News Channel on Tuesday. He said the province should have spent more money on dikes to protect the communities at risk. That way, his property would never have been put at risk.
"They should never have had to send it our way because they should have been protecting those people long ago."
Manitoba has spent $30 million to reinforce its dike system along the Assiniboine, especially around Brandon, Ashton said. The beefed-up dike system, which was installed after the 2011 flood, kept the Assiniboine surge contained when it threatened to overflow in Brandon.
But the dike system is not as strong farther down the river, and officials expect they'll be busy containing the water over the next two days.
"We aim to be as fully prepared as possible," Ashton said in a news conference later Tuesday. He said the province is struggling with flooding across the province, with efforts split between the Assiniboine River, Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin.
Ashton also thanked Manitobans for contributing to an "absolutely dramatic mobilization" to deal with the flooding. "This is about protecting Manitobans: people and their homes," he said.
Kreklewich said he and his family won't be home when the floodwaters reach Portage La Prairie. "We'll probably be staying somewhere else tonight," he said. "They still say it's a last resort, but I'd be very surprised if they didn't start letting water out of it tomorrow."
While this year's flood levels aren't as high as the one in 2011, officials predict Portage La Prairie could face higher water levels than that last flood. For that reason, the province is planning to relieve pressure in the surging river by digging controlled release holes along its route.
"Preparations for a possible controlled release are almost complete," Manitoba officials said in a news release on Monday. "A controlled release would only be used as a last resort to prevent an uncontrolled breach."
The province added that it will provide assistance to residents who may be affected by flooding due to the controlled release.
But Kreklewich said officials have shown poor planning and poor execution in dealing with the disaster. He said the province has told him this is for the greater good, but he doesn't agree. "I just don't buy anything they're selling at this point," he said.
"We will not be taking anything for granted," Ashton said. "We aim to be as fully prepared as possible."
The province said it expects the river to crest again near Brandon between July 17 and 18, meaning more flooding could be on its way.
