Local state of emergency still in effect in Marten Beach area after torrential rain

The Marten Beach area near Slave Lake remained under a state of emergency on Friday after the community was mostly evacuated (with the exception of several people who are on high ground) because of flooding just a day earlier.

On Friday, the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River No. 124 posted on its Facebook page that the Marten Mountain Forestry Tower recorded 185 mm of rain over three days this week, almost all of which ran into the Marten River before it overflowed its banks and washed out roads.

The reeve for the M.D., Murray Kerik, said Friday that he expects the flood damage to be in the millions and that he is concerned that this is the second summer in a row during which rain has triggered flooding and evacuations.

He also said there are about 250 people at a campground in a provincial park in the area who have “no way out of there” until the road to access the campground is deemed safe.

A mandatory evacuation order remained in effect for the Hamlet of Marten Beach on Saturday.

The M.D., on its Facebook page, offered an update Saturday.

“Campers at the Provincial Park and Group Camp may now enter and exit the area through Range Road 65A to the north with access east to Wabasca on Hwy 754 or north to Red Earth on Highway 88 or west on Highway 750 through Atikameg and Grouard.”

The MD also said Saturday that entry into the flood zone for Marten Beach residents will be delayed until pumping activities and silt removal have been completed and a recovery plan for re-entry has been developed.

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“The excavator on the bridge will move off the bridge to allow larger campers and trailers to pass for 15 minutes at the top of each hour,” the Saturday message reads.

“Pumping has commenced at Marten Beach and the Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA) is sending a Super-B load of additional pumps today. The MD is watching the weather closely as rain is forecast for today and for mid-week.

“The MD is cautiously optimistic that efforts by Alberta Transportation to restore access along Highway 88 will occur following the weekend.”

On Sunday, the district said water in the flood zone was being moved to the Marten River with extra pump resources from the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.

“Large pumps that were unloaded last night at 10 p.m. are being put into action in low areas of the hamlet,” the region said.

“After the community water has been moved from site, the MD will work to move water pumped from residential basements to the river once the evacuation order is lifted.

The MD is reminding displaced residents and campers to keep all their receipts for insurance claims. A preliminary assessment of damaged is being completed “to identify flood-ravaged properties. This assessment will allow the Municipal District to pursue Disaster Recovery Program funding for those affected by this event.”

View some photos in the gallery below.

Local officials said the priority was presently on repairing roads in and around the community and pumping out water and that there was currently no definitive date for re-entry set.

Marten Beach has some year-round residents, but it’s also a community where many people keep a summer home.

“It seems like every time we have a flood now it comes quicker, it comes harder, it comes higher,” Kerik said. “So the question arises: some people says it’s because we’ve got it all logged out behind there — which we don’t — but there is a lot logged, we had a lot of fire this year, burnt down a lot of timber (referring to wildfires burning in the area in the spring).

Kerik said he would like to see something done, whether it be a new diversion channel or something else to divert the water.

“We thought last year was the highest flood we’ve ever had,” Kerik said. “Well, that was a foot and a half lower than this year.”