WINNIPEG – The Village of Winnipegosis has declared a state of emergency amid overland flooding after two days of rain ended with a particularly intense rainfall on Sunday.
“It looked like we were the lake,” said Jo Bunka, public information officer for the emergency measures plan, describing the village at its worst. “Our valiant firefighters worked well over 20 hours here, pumping.”
Bunka couldn’t offer a damage estimate and said she could only report she’d heard they’d had in excess of 12 centimetres of water, but homes were flooded, she said. Dauphin, 55 kilometres southwest of Winnipegosis, had more than eight centimetres of water fall over two days, Environment Canada reported.
The village’s volunteer firefighters were joined by their counterparts from Waterhen, and other volunteers pitched in to make soup and sandwiches for those fighting the flood.
It’s the community’s third flood in two years, but the first that has come overland rather than from the lake, Bunka said.
“It’s been raining here for two or three days,” she said, and on Sunday, the ditches began to overflow and water rose up to homes.
The rain has now stopped and floodwaters have begun to recede, and the village, northeast of Dauphin on the shore of Lake Winnipegosis, is “managing to handle things very well,” Bunka said.
“We have a fantastic village,” she said. “We were able to minimize property damage.”
Bunka had water up to her door but not inside her home, and she’s grateful the flooding wasn’t worse.
“What a change in 24 hours,” she said. “We have so much to be thankful for.”
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