Manitoba volunteers go to war against Red River flooding

Monday, April 6, 2009

Over 1,600 volunteers registered to help build approximately 65,000 of the 500,000 sandbags to create dikes 20.5 feet (6 metres) high to protect the City of Winnipeg, Manitoba in the war against the Red River of the North flood.

700 volunteers answered at the rural municipality of St. Andrews alone. Once sandbags are filled for West St. Paul, St. Andrews, and Selkirk, then frozen culverts must be cleared.

The height of the river is expected to be Thursday, and predictions are that it will be less than Flood of the Century of 1997. There is no precipitation in the forecast, and snow in the province should be melted by the end of the week.

"The fear right now is we have to get that ice out of the river. The Amphibex [Excavators] are still working and breaking the ice apart, and everyday we buy with the warm weather and the current, it is thinning the ice down a bit, so when it does start to move, the better chance it'll move right out into the lake," said Paul Guyder, the emergency coordinator for the RMs of St. Andrews and St. Clements.

Map of the Red River of the North drainage basin, with the Red River highlighted.
Image: Kmusser.

"I feel that we've done everything humanly possible to get ready," said Gary Doer, Premier of Manitoba, "But ... there are fallibilities with human behaviour. We can take every preventative measure as human beings possible and we can still get Mother Nature proving again she is superior."

Communities with ring diking will partially or fully close their dikes at the beginning of the week. Provincial officials are considering opening the Red River Floodway gates around mid-week before ice is fully melted.

Ice jams could cause flooding within the city, however opening the gates could spare neighbourhood flooding when the river rises to the estimated 6.3 meters (20.7 feet) height. The province does have back up plans for dealing with ice jams within the city if they do occur. The unpredictability of ice jams and the ensuing water level rise may cause neighbourhood flooding. The city is raising dikes where the river has jammed with ice in the past such as on tight curves and past bridges. Likewise there are excavators and backhoes positioned at these points.

Vulnerable neighbourhoods on the river banks have been reinforced with sandbag dikes at vulnerable areas from the massive volunteer effort over the weekend. Guyader feels no more extra volunteers are needed, however volunteers are still being asked to leave their names and number in case of unpredicted need. Existing personnel will assess roads, and help with clean up.

Approximately 400 of the 800 people who evacuated the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation have returned to their homes.

Former Premier, Dufferin Roblin, brought forward the floodway as a protection for Winnipeg residents and economy following the 1950 Red River Flood. The Red River floodway, "Duff's Ditch" was finally finished in 1968, and its floodway gates have been opened 20 times saving Winnipeg from an estimated CA$10 billion in damages. The floodway expansion began in 2005 at a price of $665 million.

Polish and Chinese experts have come to survey the Red River Floodway, and Dennis Walaker, mayor of Fargo, North Dakota recognises the need for Red River flood defences down river. "Every town that you drive by from the Canadian line up to Winnipeg is either elevated or ring-diked," said Walaker.

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Related news

"Volunteers and food needed for flooded Manitoba, Canada" — Wikinews, March 31, 2009
"Manitoba residents receive evacuation flood alerts" — Wikinews, March 28, 2009
"Fargo, North Dakota, prepares for record flooding" — Wikinews, March 24, 2009

Sources

Wikipedia

Wikipedia has more about this subject:

2009 Red River Flood

"Hundreds answer call to join Manitoba flood fight" — CBC News, April 5, 2009
Nicole Baute. "How Man(itoba) defeats Nature" — The Star.com, April 5, 2009
CJOB News Team. "Province says floodway may open early, if necessary" — Corus Entertainment Inc., April 5, 2009
"Rural Municipality of West St Paul, Manitoba, Canada" — Rural Municipality of West St Paul, April 5, 2009
EmergWeb Media Centre. "Winnipeggers come out by the hundreds to volunteer!" — City of Winnipeg, April 4, 2009
EmergWeb Media Centre. "Winnipeggers come out by the hundreds to volunteer! Dike-Building Continues Due to Possible Ice Jams" — City of Winnipeg, April 4, 2009
Jen Skerritt. "Flood fight ramps up as Red’s crest approaches" — Winnipeg Free Press, April 4, 2009
"Hundreds of Manitobans work to fill sandbags to deal with floodwaters" — Canadian Press, April 4, 2009

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