Another Manitoba community has declared a local state of emergency over flooding.
Minnedosa made the call Tuesday, according to a post on the town’s Facebook page.
The community will remain under the order until June 15, the notice said.
At least 39 Manitoba municipalities and at least four First Nations have now declared states of emergency due to flooding, with evacuations forcing some 2,500 people out of their homes.
Minnedosa is roughly 45 km north of Brandon, with a population of roughly 2,741, according to 2021 census numbers.
The local state of emergency comes as town officials have begun handing out potential evacuation notices to those living in low lying areas.
With many roads in the community flooded, two schools have moved to remote learning in the area, and residents are also being asked to limit water consumption to minimize the potential for sewer backups.
Officials from the town say they’ve asked for provincial support for additional sandbags and pumps.
Bad news in the weather forecast
Later in the day, the province said a precipitation system moving towards southern and central Manitoba could bring another 20-50 mm of rain to already waterlogged parts of the province starting Tuesday.
They warned localized areas could see even more rain, with some weather models calling for as much as 80 mm of rain and snow mix with thunderstorms.
“Depending on the amount, location and intensity of the rainfall, it may affect water levels in some areas of the province,” the province warned.
The news comes just days after a Colorado low deluged western Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan with close to 75 mm of rain, with some higher elevations receiving over 125 mm.
The notice posted on Minnedosa’s Facebook page said the community “is encountering flooding that requires prompt action.”
An overland flood warning has been issued for much of western and southeastern Manitoba.
The province has also put the Parklands region, just north of Minnedosa, under an overland flood warning.
Officials have said the recent rain mixed with snowmelt from higher elevations is causing “significant run-off that has overwhelmed creeks, rivers and drains and caused flash flooding and significant damage to crossings and other infrastructure.
“Water is moving through creeks, rivers and drains eastward off the escarpment and may still impact downstream communities and infrastructure before reaching Dauphin Lake or Lake Winnipegosis,” a provincial flood bulletin said Monday.
On Tuesday provincial officials said heavy rains could result in overland flooding and potentially flash flooding, particularly for waterways that drain from higher elevations.
“Depending on the amount and intensity of rain, water levels could rise rapidly and threaten low-lying or nearby properties as well as road, crossing and other infrastructure,” the province said in a bulletin Tuesday.
The flooding in western Manitoba is the latest disaster to hit the province, which has been dealing with high water for weeks.
In the central region, more than 1,800 people from the Peguis First Nation are still out of their homes due to the swollen Fisher River.
South of Winnipeg, the Red River has started to recede but still resembles a vast lake in many areas, covering farmland and roads. A section of Highway 75, the main link between the provincial capital and the United States, remained closed.
— with files from Global’s Abigail Turner and The Canadian Press