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Tag Archives: Flood

Red River Floodway Opens; Fewer Houses Need to Be Sandbagged: City

Red River Floodway Opens; Fewer Houses Need to Be Sandbagged: City

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Red River Floodway
The Red River Floodway gates were raised on Friday, March 31, 2017. (CHRISD.CA)

The City of Winnipeg says fewer homes along the Red River need to be sandbagged after the Red River Floodway was opened Friday.

The gates to the floodway went up at about 10:15 a.m. The river is currently expected to peak between 18.6 to 20.8 feet James Avenue datum.

“City engineers have determined that the number of properties needing sandbag dikes has decreased from 50 to 25,” reads a statement from the City. “The number of sandbags has been reduced accordingly from 75,000 to 20,000. The City currently has enough sandbags made to address the needs of at-risk properties, but will continue making sandbags until the end of today as a precaution.”

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Manitoba Names New Chief Flood Forecaster

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Ste. Agathe Ice Flow
Pieces of ice flow downstream near Ste. Agathe in 2011. (STAN MILOSEVIC / CHRISD.CA FILE)

Manitoba has a new chief flood forecaster at the helm.

Dr. Fisaha Unduche replaces Phillip Mutulu, who left the province last year to take a job in Alberta after a short stint as the public face of flood-fighting in Manitoba.

Unduche, 38, is a University of Manitoba graduate of flood modelling and mitigation engineering. His hiring comes from within the province, where he has worked for the past five years as the senior water control systems planning engineer.

The province interviewed seven candidates for the nationally-advertised position, four of which were internal.

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Feds Commit $200M Payout for 2011 Flood

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Vehicles travel over a semi-submerged Highway 200 on April 17, 2011. (STAN MILOSEVIC / MANITOBAPHOTOS.COM)
(STAN MILOSEVIC / CHRISD.CA FILE)

The federal government has put forward $200 million in helping Manitoba to recover from the devastation caused by the 2011 flood.

Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Steven Blaney, and Shelly Glover, Manitoba’s regional minister, made the announcement Tuesday at the Manitoba legislature.

“The 2011 floods were unprecedented on so many fronts. It was the most disastrous flood this province has ever witnessed. Our government has been there for the citizens of Manitoba, and always will be,” Glover said.

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Frozen Sprinkler Line Floods Alzheimer Society’s Office

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By Sarah Klein

Alzheimer Society of Manitoba
The offices of the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba were damaged after a frozen sprinkler line burst on Tuesday, February 5, 2013. (HANDOUT)
Alzheimer Society of Manitoba
Roof tiles dropped down after a frozen sprinkler line burst at the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba on Tuesday. (HANDOUT

With just days before the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba’s biggest fundraising event of the year, the organization is dealing with a flooded office.

A frozen sprinkler line blew apart Tuesday morning, sending gallons of water pouring through the ceiling at their Donald Street office.

Spokeswoman Rebecca Krowelski said staff are frantically trying to salvage donated items for the gala event, which takes place Thursday at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.

“Workers from the Derksen Group, a major event sponsor, arrived with trucks and rubber boots to salvage the soggy auction items from the Alzheimer Society office,” Krowelski said. “The staff will be working out of the Derksen office over the next few days to pull together the event.”

The event is expected to bring in $260,000 in funding to support the society’s ongoing work.

The society is calling for any contributions to be made online or dropped off at Derksen Plumbing and Heating, 125 Higgins Avenue.

Floodway Gates Lowered as Spring ‘Flood’ Ends

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Consider the “flood” of 2010 to be over.

The province lowered the Red River Floodway gates Thursday morning, as there is no longer a need to divert water around the city of Winnipeg.

The gates were raised March 28, but the flood risk this spring remained significantly minor compared to other seasons.

Despite predictions from flood officials that Highway 75 would close, it remained open as river crests came and went around it.

Earlier on Thursday, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation reopened Provincial Road 217 from #200 to #246. The highway had been closed due to water on the road. #246 from PTH #23 to St. Jean Baptiste was also reopened to traffic after water on the road subsided. One lane for traffic still remains on the Red River Bridge in St. Jean Baptiste, as barriers are still in place.

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Sandbags to Protect from Run-Off Now Available

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The city is making sandbags readily available to residents, but before you start panicking, it’s only for precautionary measures.

City crews will begin opening curb inlets, catch basins and culverts on the weekend. Snow, ice accumulations and debris will also be removed from ditches to assist the water run-off. Residents can contact 311 to request the services be performed around their property if necessary.

Where damage to dwellings due to water run-off is imminent, homeowners are asked to contact 311 to help expedite crews to these locations.

Sandbags will be available for residents needing to protect their property from spring melting. Pickup is available between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily at 1220 Pacific Avenue, 849 Ravelston Avenue West and 1539 Waverley Street. Identification showing proof of Winnipeg residency will be required. For emergencies, sandbags are available outside the normal hours by contacting 311.

Citizens are urged to check sump pumps and backwater valves on an on-going basis.

Icebreaking Machines on Red River North of Selkirk

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To get ahead of the ice jams before they can develop on the Red River, the Province of Manitoba has already put two icebreaking Amphibex machines to work north of Selkirk in Breezy Point. In anticipation for river levels almost as high as last year, officials are hoping to prevent flooding before it has an impact on homes near the river bank.

Water Stewardship Minister Christine Melnick says over $230,000 in additional support has been committed this year for ice-cutting and icebreaking operations.

On Tuesday, the province held a demonstration of the Amphibexes at work, which have been operating since the second week of February.

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Warning signs have been placed on the ice to warn people to stay clear. That was the crucial message Minister Melnick wanted to get across Tuesday. The ice isn’t as thick as it was during this time last year. The ice on the Red River ranges from 18 to 28 inches thick, compared to 24 to 36 inches last year. A few kilometres north of Selkirk near Lockport, some ice fishers have already removed their huts from the river, but a few still remain. Nearby, ice-cutting equipment weakens the ice in preparation for the Amphibexes.

The province has budgeted $1 million this year to operate the machinery.

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NDP Slammed for Lack of Highway 75 Flood Plan

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The Provincial Conservatives are criticizing the NDP this morning for not having a solid plan in place to fix the recurrence of flooding along Highway 75 near Morris to the U.S. border.

The provincial government issued its first spring flood outlook for 2010 on Monday, which calls for ‘significant flooding’ in the Red River Valley.

Morris MLA Mavis Taillieu says it’s “outrageous” the NDP has not taken swift action after the 2009 flood.

“Flooding south of Winnipeg is a regular occurrence,” Taillieu said. “We had flooding in 2006. We had flooding last year. We have another flood looming on the horizon for 2010. Yet it seems that each year after the flood waters subside, we hear much talk from the NDP about plans to fix the problem, but we have yet to see any action.”

Taillieu goes on to note the negative impact closing the highway has on Manitoba’s economy, as well as to homeowners in the area.

Highway 75 has been closed in portions 100 days in the last 13 years, compared to eight times of closure on the connecting Interstate 29 in North Dakota over the same time period.

“With CentrePort Canada in the works, hopes to make Winnipeg a major transportation hub for north-south trade will be quickly dashed without a long term plan in place,” Taillieu said.

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Significant Flooding Predicted in Southern Manitoba

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By Brian Schultz


Significant flooding is in southern Manitoba’s forecast this spring, the province said Monday. The grim news is part of the 2010 flood outlook and notes the Red River will average levels of about one to three feet lower than last year.

But don’t get worried too soon. Forecasters say it all depends on the weather and if we don’t get another wallop of snow between now and the spring, we could be in good shape. However, with unfavourable weather conditions, we could be looking at water levels a foot higher than last year on the Red River.

Flooding in low-lying areas is also likely, such as along the Souris River watershed.

The province has already began to cut ice on the Red River north of Winnipeg with the help of new equipment.

Submitted photo by Ernest Cucheron

Province Buys New Ice-Cutting Machines

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The province is making sure ice jams north of the city on the Red River don’t become another problem this spring.

On Thursday, two additional ice-cutting machines were announced, part of a $1 million budget to prevent future flooding. Officials say the budget this year is up by over $230,000 from last year. The machines will begin operating in the second week of February.

The province is also spending $240,000 on two new Bobcat remote-controlled ice-cutting machines to work along with the two Amphibexs.

The upgraded ice cutters will be equipped with GPS tracking devices that will record units’ locations, times and ice-cutting functions.

Machines will begin working on the Red River near Netley Creek just south of Lake Winnipeg and will go south to the Selkirk Bridge.

A team of 30 people will take on the task of breaking up ice along the river.

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