New Brunswick launches 2019 River Watch program

Emergency officials have launched the annual River Watch program which provides New Brunswickers with up to date information on the status or rivers, potential ice jams and other flood issues which could be expected in the coming weeks.

“This is the most fussed over period of weather in the province of New Brunswick every spring for good reason, it’s a very dynamic constantly changing situation,” explained Greg MacCallum, the Director of New Brunswick’s Emergency Measures Organization (EMO).

“The actual accumulation of snow, the rate of melt all of that stuff are all factors of course that we pay very strict attention too as well.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The actual accumulation of snow, the rate of melt all of that stuff are all factors of course that we pay very strict attention too as well."

Weather officials in both Canada and the US are monitoring snowpack and precipitation, which appears to be above normal.

Each morning River Watch officials, including hydrology experts, receive a weather briefing and collect data from several sources to build river models and forecasts and the public is then informed if there are potential threats.

“What we would like to see is maybe 5-10 degrees during the day and below zero at night just to let the snow melt very slowly and no large precipitation events,” explained Jasmin Boisvert a water sciences specialist with Environment and Local Government.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "What we would like to see is maybe 5-10 degrees during the day and below zero at night just to let the snow melt very slowly and no large precipitation events," explained Jasmin Boisvert a water sciences specialist with Environment and Local Government.

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Victims of last year’s historic flooding are still doing whatever it takes to make sure they’re not at the mercy of Mother Nature again.

“We’re high enough that it shouldn’t impact us very much it’s the people who didn’t get the chance to get lifted or didn’t get lifted high enough that’s really going to feel the crunch,” says Tina Arthurs, how has lifted her house by 6.5 feet.

The Arthurs just moved into their partially built home in December, seven months after they saw record-setting flooding along the Saint John River,

Floodwaters devastated homes along Route 105, some in such disrepair families simply walked away from them.

Paul’s Motel, a once bustling hot spot is being leveled, acquired in a provincial buyout of properties in the flood plain beyond repair.

“You got to tear them all down, you gotta back-fill the basements they want them all so they can grow green grass for this year I guess,” explains Rodney Stewart a machine operator with Greg Stewart Limited.

You can find the latest forecasts and public advisories by visiting the River Watch website, or by following the Emergency Measures Organization on Twitter and Facebook.