WINNIPEG — Residents living close to the Red River know the spring ritual of ice jams could be far worse than they are at this moment.
The Selkirk Bridge remains closed since the weekend due to minor flooding and ice jams. While ice chunks have cleared considerably; moving north towards Breezy Point, the city of Selkirk and surrounding R.M. of St. Andrews said their residents are not out of the woods yet.
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“I won’t breathe a sigh of relief until I see that ice out to the marsh and lake area,” said Larry Johansson, Mayor of Selkirk.
Manitobans know how quickly weather can change; 2007 and 2009’s flood being evidence of how quickly conditions in the river can change.
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In 2009, ice jams in the Breezy Point area caused the Red River to rise nearly nine feet overnight.
“That ice formed around this bridge, in the middle of our beautiful city,” Johansson said.
“And it stayed there, it stayed there for almost two weeks.”
Large chunks of ice were spotted in Breezy Point, approximately 15 km north Selkirk. Residents living across from the river said they were not yet concerned and had no plans for evacuation yet.