Mandatory evacuation ordered for northern Whiteshell Provincial Park amid rapidly changing flood conditions

Manitoba has issued a mandatory evacuation order and expanded the closure area in the northern part of Whiteshell Provincial Park, which will take effect Tuesday, the province said in a news release Sunday night.

The affected area extends from the west entrance at the north end of the park along Provincial Road 307 and goes eastward to the junction of Provincial Roads 307 and 309. Affected areas include Sylvia Lake, Eleanor Lake, Otter Falls, Barrier Bay and Nutimik Lake and the current Betula Lake closure area announced on Friday, the release said.

Rising water levels and quickly changing conditions are presenting "a significant risk to public safety,"the province said, urging people not to enter or return to their properties in the area. Anyone already there should plan to leave as soon as possible, the release said.

Manitoba Parks will also close nightly and seasonal camping at the Dorothy Lake, Opapiskaw and Nutimik Lake campgrounds, and the nightly campground at Big Whiteshell Lake south shore, on Monday at 3 p.m. These closures will remain in effect until June 6, the province said.

The province is also implementing the immediate closure of all backcountry campsites in Whiteshell Provincial Park.

At noon on Tuesday, Manitoba Parks will conclude preparatory activities like sandbagging at Otter Falls. At 5 p.m. that day, the director of parks will implement the expanded closure area, which means residents and park users in the affected areas will all need to be gone before then.

The evacuation order and expanded closure will apply to all cottage subdivisions, commercial areas, campgrounds, playgrounds, trails and beaches. It will also apply to group use, day use, recreational and picnic areas, the province said.

Many highways are flooded, and could flood even more, making travel conditions treacherous, the bulletin said.

Sandbagging ramps up

Earlier Sunday,teenagers, seniors and even little kids were pitching in to help protect the eastern Manitoba community of Nutimik Lake.

Mitch Beaudry said he was going outside to walk his dog Sunday morning when he bumped into a neighbour who was on his way to sandbag. He said he didn't hesitate to join in.

"I would rather be doing that than sitting on my butt not doing anything at all and not contributing. I'd rather help out the community. It's such a beautiful place," he said.

Allison Thiessen said seeing that kind of support was heartening on such a hard day.

She and her husband just bought the Nutimik Lodge in December. Now, they're scrambling to keep their business afloat as the waters that were suddenly alarmingly high on Sunday morning keep rising.

They've had to evict people from some of their cottages, and there was so much water in one of their buildings that all their freezers were floating.

"We're hanging in and still smiling. We've got an amazing group out here trying to help us out," Thiessen said, holding back tears.

"It's a disaster, it truthfully is. We've never seen this in 70-plus years and we're just hoping we can kind of come together and hold it together."

She said the community hopes the summer tourism season it relies on isn't a washout, too.

Water reaching record levels

Since April 1, most southern and central Manitoba basins including the Winnipeg River basin in Ontario and the Whiteshell Lakes area have gotten a significant amount of precipitation. The precipitation in Whiteshell Lakes area in particular exceeded weather records dating all the way back to 1951, the province said.

Heavy spring precipitation came on top of high snow accumulations between November and March. All that resulted in significant inflow volumes into the lakes. As a result, levels on most lakes in the Whiteshell area have either almost equalled or even exceeded previous records, the province said.

Record flows are also happening on the Winnipeg River system as near-record flows come from upstream watersheds in Ontario. Water levels along that system are expected to continue to rise another foot or two until early June, the province said.

That river is also experiencing very high flows and water levels because of the significant volume of water upstream in Ontario from Lake of the Woods and Lac Seul. The Winnipeg River is expected to crest in early June, though water levels could remain above seasonal normal for several weeks.

A flood warning is still in effect for the Winnipeg River and the Whiteshell lakes area. Property owners in these areas are advised to continue to remain vigilant and take any necessary precautions. People travelling to other provincial parks should carefully check and monitor conditions before visiting.

Road closures and potential detours are listed on the province's website.

All previously announced closures and advisories remain in effect. A list of restricted lakes and boat launch closures, as well as campground and trail closures is available on the Manitoba Parks website.

Whiteshell property owners fighting flood despite evacuation order

2 years ago

Duration 2:10

Volunteers are making a last-ditch effort to sandbag around Otter Falls, despite the evacuation order for the northern part of Whiteshell Provincial Park.