Residents of one Manitoba town may need to evacuate amid flooding

Possible evacuations for some in Arborg Some people living in the southwest part of Arborg are being told to prepare for possible evacuations due to rising water.

Some of the residents in one Manitoba town are being told to prepare for potential evacuations amid flooding in the community.

On Tuesday, the North-East Interlake Emergency Measures Board issued a news release, saying that the junction of PTH 7 and PTH 68 at Arborg is closed due to flooding.

People are still able to get into the town by following the detour signs at the end of PTH 7 or by traveling on PR 231 to PTH 8 and PTH 68. Travelers coming from west of Arborg can use Roads 226, 329 and 326 to get to the town.

The news release notes that due to the floodwater at the junction of PTH 7 and PTH 68, an emergency operations centre has been established to deal with the impact on residents.

The communities are also pumping floodwater, using high-volume pumps, over PTH 68 and into the Icelandic River. The news release adds that the river has dropped over the last two days and can hold more water.

According to the North-East Interlake Emergency Measures Board, there is still the possibility of more flooding at this junction. If the situation is not fixed by pumping floodwater, residents in southwest Arborg have been told they may need to evacuate.

The Arborg hospital and personal care home have been notified of the situation and will install a tiger dam around the complex. These facilities are also on evacuation alert.

Any residents who need help can call their municipal office.

On Sunday, the Town of Arborg and Municipality of Bifrost-Riverton declared a local state of emergency.