Flood scope grows

As Manitoba’s flood fight continues to grow, so does the vast scope of the flood itself.

The province stressed Tuesday more roads are closed and more land is flooded than ever before, including 1997.

In all, 32 municipalities have declared states of local emergency, 78 provincial roads have been affected by flood waters, and 763 Manitobans have been forced from their homes.

Luc Sabourin, a 75-year resident of flood prone St. Jean Baptiste says he’s lost count of how many floods he’s seen. But he still finds himself boating back and forth every day to the farm he left behind when he moved. A way of life many like him have given up.

“More than two thirds of the farm houses are gone, they’ve moved away,” says Sabourin.

The Red River has covered kilometres of land in his area, 29 have evacuated from the R.M. of Montcalm alone.

“We will clearly be feeling impacts of this flood well into May and with the elevated levels of water and our lakes, there will be after effects for some time to come,” says Steve Ashton, Minister Responsible for Emergency Measures.

That includes Sabourin, who has a lot of boating back and forth before he starts what he already knows will be a late seeding and a bad year for farming.