Local residents return from checking on their house surrounded by the waters of the St. John River in Fredericton, N.B. on Sunday, April 29, 2018. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan)
WINNIPEG — With warmer temperatures and the changing of seasons, one thing is for certain — the rivers will flow.
To help better protect Manitoba’s communities and their vital infrastructure this spring, the province has announced $8 million in funding for additional flood preparations and protections.
The funding, announced on Thursday, will be spread among 80 municipalities to purchase items such as generators, pumps, steaming equipment to unclog frozen culverts, utility trailers, equipment for emergency operations centres, sandbags and other small equipment.
The breakdown for funding by district is:
• Central District – $1,271,662.07 for 14 municipalities;
• Eastern District – $776,451.01 for 10 municipalities;
• Interlake District – $1,059.167.70 for 10 municipalities;
• Midwestern District – $715,082.41 for nine municipalities;
• Northern District – $76,899.00 for two municipalities;
• Parkland District – $759,262.68 for 11 municipalities;
• Western District – $1,139,583.73 for 15 municipalities; and
• Winnipeg Metropolitan Region – $2,041,770.52 for 13 municipalities.
Funding for the 2020 Flood Protection Program was originally capped at $3 million but was more than doubled due to the need for preparation this spring.
