Heavy rain behind several road closures in the region

Flooding concerns have been mounting across the region especially in the north like Muskoka and Minden.

Germania Road in Bracebridge is closed due to excessive water.

It’s one of several roads in Muskoka and Simcoe County that has been affected by all of the recent rain.

“If we get two or three more days of this, it’s not going to be pretty,” says Dave Hewitt, a Muskoka Lakes resident.

The Ministry of Natural Resources has issued a flood warning for the area now that water is starting to overflow by riverbanks and other waterways. People are being encouraged to be prepared with lots more rain in the forecast.

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Bracebridge and Lake of Bays have already set out free sand and bags for property owners.

Many have a very close eye on the Muskoka River.

“This rain the forecast, its not working for us,” says Bracebridge Mayor Rick Malomey. “I’m not saying it’s working against us, but we’ll see what happens over the next 24 hours for sure.”

Nearby, Hunstville, Tiny Township, Innisfil and Washago have had to close roads due to higher than normal flows. The Minden sewage treatment system was forced to pump some sewage into the Gull River Tuesday to reduce the risk of sewage back-ups into private homes.

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Muskoka Lakes Mayor Peter Kelley says the Township has sandbags available to those who need them.

“There’s three or four more days of rain forecast, there’s warm temperatures melting any of the snow that’s still left around and it’s not a terrific combination for the risk of flooding,” Kelley says.

For now, Germania Road in Bracebridge remains closed until further notice. There are four other roads in town that have been labeled as cautious, meaning open, but could have heavy water spots.

The entire District of Muskoka is keeping an extra close eye on the rain over the next couple of days.