By Sarah Klein
Overland flooding closes parts of a street in Gimli, Manitoba on Friday, October 29, 2010 after Wednesday's "weather bomb." (STAN MILOSEVIC / MANITOBAPHOTOS.COM)
Residents in Manitoba’s Interlake will be spending this weekend cleaning up after an unusual weather event Wednesday, which meteorologists are calling a “weather bomb.”
The storm brought with it gusts of wind, stirring up Lake Winnipeg to ravish shoreline properties in Winnipeg Beach and Gimli.
Earth dikes were breached, forcing property owners to flee their homes and officials to declare states of emergencies in several areas.
Longtime residents say this is the worst storm they have ever seen, especially considering it occurred in late October. Many worry they’re just days away from the flood waters freezing, leaving a mess to deal with as winter approaches, and even more so next spring.
Manitoba’s Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick toured the area Thursday, saying winds blew in at more than 90 km/h, making a north basin already at capacity to flow into the smaller south basin.
The province hasn’t said yet how much financial assistance will be provided, but for now, many residents are still assessing the damage and tallying their own estimates.
View the photo gallery below.
