A major storm in Manitoba on Monday is causing widespread power outages, property damage and highway closures in the province. Images around Winnipeg show a garage in the city’s Whyte Ridge neighbourhood partially collapsed and a tree uprooted as a major thunderstorm passed over Winnipeg overnight. In a Tuesday afternoon news release, Manitoba Hydro said storm-related outages are impacting more than 9,700 customers across the province, including 5,100 approximately in Winnipeg. This is down from the 14,200 customers who were initially without power. The Crown corporation said they continue to receive reports of outages and damaged equipment on Tuesday. “As restoration work continues, we may need to take emergency outages to larger areas in order to safely complete repairs,” a spokesperson for Hydro said in a statement. Along with outages, the severe storm also forced the closure of several Manitoba highways due to flooding. The Manitoba Emergency Management Organization issued a flash flood alert for western parts of the province due to rapid water level rise in low-lying areas. As of Tuesday at 8:40 a.m., the following closures are in place in the Rosser, Roblin and Swan River areas: For access from Dauphin to Swan River, there is a detour from Highway 268 through Birch River and south on Highway 10 to Swan River.
