Flood fight focuses on Assiniboine

The Assiniboine River is the current battleground in Manitoba's flood fight, say officials.

A flood warning has been issued along the Assiniboine from the Shellmouth Bridge to Portage la Prairie. Thecrest of the Assiniboineis expected toreach Brandon by Friday but already, fields and roads in the region are under water.

Last week, the river spilled its banks for more than a kilometre near the 18th Street bridge.

The city is protected by dikes but should they fail, there are 866 dwellings and businesses on the west side that are most at risk.

Elsewhere in Manitoba, flood warnings are still in effect along the Souris River near Wawanesa. It peaked Sunday in the town of Souris at a similar level to its worst flood on recordin 1976.

That river then flowsinto the Assiniboine River at Treesbank.

Warnings are also in effect for the Qu'Appelle River in the St-Lazare area, the Saskatchewan River near Ralls Island,Pipestone Creek, Oak Lake and Plum Lakes, as well as Plum Creek to the Souris River, including the town of Souris.

However, there's some good news for a few Manitoba communities threatened by rising rivers.

An ice jam has begun to move on the Saskatchewan River near The Pas, and the water on the Carrot River near the community dropped 15 centimetres at the Barcken Dam on Sunday.

As well, the forecast for the Red River has been revised.The upper range of the forecast peak will be slightly lower than 2009 water levels for many points, butlevels are still expectedto be similar or slightly above 2009 water levels at Emerson, Letellier, Ste. Agathe and St. Adolphe.

The crest of the Red is expected to cross from the U.S. into Emerson, Man., sometime before Wednesday andpeak in Winnipeg between May 2 and May 5. Officials in Winnipeg said Monday thecity is ready for the crests of both the Red and Assinboine Rivers.

Forecasters expect levels on the Red at Winnipeg to be slightly lower than 2009 and that all properties in Winnipeg are now adequately protected. They saidthe greatest risk in the city would be basement flooding brought by heavy rainfall.

Roseau evacuation

Meantime, the job of trying to move 800 people off the Roseau River First Nation, just north of the Manitoba-U.S. border,was completed Monday.

About 170 were moved Sunday because only one bus driver was working due toEaster, according to theManitoba Association of Native Firefighters, which headed up the evacuation.

Three buses operated Monday to finish the shuttle of evacuees to Winnipeg.

The reserve isprotected by a ring dike but if the main roads to thecommunityare washed out, there would be no way for anyone to get in or out.

Howard Nelson,flood coordinator for Roseau, said pumps are being used to get water out of almost 30 flooded basements in low-lying areas on the reserve.

The Winnipeg School Division has also offered space insome schools to take in students displaced from Roseau, he said.

"It was great to hear that. It feels good when you getpeople stepping and saying, 'We'll help,'" he said.

Resident Joanne Littlejohn was among thosewho left Sunday and said it was a hectic time getting prepared.

"Some of us work for the health centre, and we have to prepare that on top of preparing our own families," she said.

Despite the concerns about getting stranded on the reserve, shewas reluctant to leave.

"Home is home, and it's where I'd rather be than stuck in a hotel for a month," Littlejohn said.

Major flood damage

Steve Ashton, Manitoba's minister for emergency measures, saiddamage from this year's floods could be in the tens of millions of dollars.

That's because the floods have happened in so many parts of the province, damaging many roads, he said.

Ashton said there was a lot of preparation that went into mitigating the flooding.

But there's so much water in so much of Manitoba that any drainage or retention system would have been overwhelmed, he added.