Premier confident but cautious as river peaks in Portage la Prairie area

CTV Winnipeg : High water roars Ben Miljure on the Assiniboine River’s crest expected to reach Portage la Prairie on July 9.

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. - Manitoba's premier says he's cautiously confident that flood-fighting measures on the swollen Assiniboine River will work.

The river crested near Portage La Prairie yesterday, and so far, Premier Greg Selinger says the dikes are looking pretty solid.

The province has issued a warning that a second crest is likely to reach Brandon by Saturday but should be slightly smaller than the initial crest that had the city on alert last week.

However, Emergency Measures Minister Steve Ashton says things could change if there's a lot more rain.

Selinger declared a state of emergency a week ago, prompting hundreds of soldiers, crews and others to frantically prepare sandbags and strengthen dikes around communities and rural properties.

An estimated 720 people have been forced to leave their homes across the province, mostly as a precautionary measure over fears that roads might be swamped.

Another 200 homes are considered vulnerable to rising waters and 150 more could be at risk if the province decided to cut a dike at the Hoop and Holler Bend.

The government said yesterday that's probably not going to be necessary.