Floodwaters recede in Petersfield

Some residents in Petersfield, Man., scrambled to protect their properties after being thrown into a sudden flood fight on Monday.

The level of the Netley Creek surged about a metre between Sunday night and Monday afternoon, pushing water dangerously close to about eight properties.

Emergency crews and community volunteers rushed in to set up temporary tube dikes around those homes, which were all saved.

Two garages, however, were flooded.

Now, tempers are rising.

Residents blame the province for causing the problem.

Officials with Manitoba Water Stewardship (MWS) admit it was caused by an ice jam the province broke up near the Red River Floodway gate.

The ice flowed north to join another ice jam near Selkirk. The blockage then caused water levels on the river and its tributaries to back up, said MWS executive director Steve Topping.

Maureen Paskaruk, whose home was among those threatened in Petersfield, about 45 kilometres north of Winnipeg, said is seems like Winnipeggers get preferential treatment by the province when it comes to flood protection.

"It's like [provincial officials] don't care about what's happening here," she said. "As long as it's okay for Winnipeg it's okay, and nobody cares what happens north [of the city]."

Topping stops short of blaming the province for the situation in Petersfield because ice jams are natural events and thus unpredictable, he said.