A provincial
state of emergency remains in place as crews work around the clock to hold back
the high water on the Assiniboine River.
More than 330 provincial employees from Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation, 20 employees from other government departments, 115 provincial department volunteers and 75 redeployed forest firefighters from across the province are supporting flood-fighting efforts.
The crest on the Assiniboine is expected in Portage la Prairie this evening and, so far, provincial flood fighters say the dikes are holding with minor seepage. They’ll be monitored 24 hours a day with rapid readiness teams in place to respond to any problems that may appear.
“It really puts things into focus in times like these. You can see just how important our public services are when we’re faced with something like this,” says MGEU President Michelle Gawronsky. “I’m so thankful to see all of our members on the front lines and behind the scenes doing everything they can to keep people and their homes out of harm’s way. It makes me very proud as a Manitoban to see the resilience in each of the communities that has prepared for this flood. Let’s hope the sunny skies stay with us for a while.”
The
Province says this particular summer flood is the product of a very wet month
that has seen a large portion of western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan
inundated with more than 200 per cent of normal rainfall.