Work is underway to manage the water flow in Minnedosa, Man., before the forecasted precipitation kicks in.
According to the town’s chief administrative officer, Jim Doppler, a few sets of logs have already been taken off the nearby dam to keep the flooding at bay.
He believes Minnedosa is prepared for what’s ahead.
“We’ve got a consultant out, engineers on our diking,” he said. “So there’s a few areas we’re reinforcing.”
He said there’s still one last set of logs that’ll be released from the dam at a yet-to-be-determined time.
Premier Heather Stefanson and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Doyle Piwniuk paid the town a visit as a show of support for the community on Thursday morning.
“We just want to send the message that we’re here for all the people in this community,” Stefanson said. “We take all of this very seriously. We’re here to support the community any way we can.”
Piwniuk said infrastructure changes are along the way for the province.
“Every time we see a flood there’s always something we can improve,” he said. “Each flood is totally different from the next, and because (of) our uniqueness, because of the snow that we had, the rain, we have to see what we need to invest into.”
Piwniuk said the province is currently seeking federal approval to fund a Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin channel.
In the event of an evacuation, Stefanson says she’ll turn to the surrounding communities to help those who may be displaced.
“As Manitobans we’re very resilient,” she said. “We all come together, very large volunteer community within our province. We’re very fortunate to have those surrounding communities that will help out as well, so we’ll reach out to everyone to be a part of the solution here.”