Overland flooding prompts state of emergency in RM of Ritchot

59.6 million liters of sewage dumped into river The City of Winnipeg said it had to divert an unusually large amount of sewage into the river after the recent storm.

Overland flooding has prompted the mayor of Ritchot to declare a state of emergency.

On Tuesday evening, the rural municipality's mayor Chris Ewen declared a local state of emergency due to the recent precipitation that has led to overland flooding.

"We would declare the state of emergency just to make sure that our residents stay safe," he said. "So if they can't access their home because their road is cut off, it's just not a good situation. So by declaring a state of emergency, we're able to close that road and then the residents can take evacuation processes."

Ewen was not able to confirm whether any residents have evacuated as of Tuesday evening. He said it is pretty common to declare a state of emergency in the rural municipality.

"We see a lot of low lying roads in the RM, we are in the Red River Basin. So I think this might be actually my third time in the last five years as mayor that we've declared a state of emergency," he said, adding residents in the community are well prepared.

"I just want to ensure that the new residents of Ritchot feel comfortable asking us any questions."

Ewen said residents can contact him or the RM of Ritchot if they have any questions regarding the state of emergency.