RESTON, Man. – Residents of a southwestern Manitoba town battered by two major rainstorms within a matter of days were just cleaning out their soaked basements after the first downpour when they were hit once again.
The community of Reston near the Saskatchewan boundary experienced flash-flooding on the weekend and was inundated again Tuesday night.
Resident Sheila Campbell said homeowners in the town of 600 had piled up their soggy couches and freezers on the curb after the first deluge, only to watch the rising water carry everything away when the second rainstorm tore through the area.
“We had a terrible thunderstorm go through here with lots of high winds. There’s trees down,” Campbell said Wednesday.
“Everybody’s basements have filled up with water again. The stuff they had out on the curb — because you can’t get to the dump — everything was just floating down the streets.
“It’s a really sad situation.”
The province said Reston has received almost 250 millimetres of rain since Friday night.
The rural municipality of Pipestone, which includes the town of Reston, declared a state of emergency and about a dozen roads were closed due to water levels. The municipality said power was out at the well so officials were asking residents to conserve water. Residents were also asked to stay home since many streets were waterlogged.
The municipality advised residents to take lots of pictures of damaged items and property for disaster assistance applications.
The regional municipalities of Wallace, Albert and Edward all declared states of emergency.
The west side of Reston was the hardest hit, Campbell said.
“Most of them have basements flooded. Some are dealing with even higher water levels than that. There is a lot of sewer backup,” she said.
“I know lots of people – some of them have been evacuated. Some are still just trying to save their basements and keeping them pumped out.”
Campbell has lived in Reston for 35 years and said she’s never seen anything like it.
“There’s always high water levels in the springtime that we have to deal with but not this amount of rain all at one time.”
Emergency Measures Minister Steve Ashton said 28 people were being moved from a personal care home in Reston.
“Provincial and municipal officials are working to assess damages and reopen roads,” he told the legislature Wednesday.
“Provincial emergency management officials are in contact with communities to ensure they have the resources they need.”
Other parts of Manitoba were bracing for flood waters heading their way from Alberta.
The Pas, the rural municipality of Kelsey and Opaskwayak Cree Nation declared states of emergency due to potential flooding along the Saskatchewan and Carrot rivers. The province said the crest was expected in eight to 10 days.
“Provincial flood forecasters are … closely monitoring water levels on the Saskatchewan River as the water makes its way from Alberta,” Ashton said. “Officials are also monitoring ‘hot spots’ on the Souris River near Melita and Vermillion River near Dauphin to assess the situations and determine if additional resources are needed.”
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