Manitoba flood evacuees total 500 as more water expected

Hundreds ofManitobanshave been forced out of their homes sinceflooding batteredparts of the province and neighbouring Saskatchewan over the weekend.

As of Wednesday, about 500 people in Manitoba have lefttheir homes because of the flooding, and 41 municipalities have declared a stateof local emergencydue to flooding following a weekend of torrential rains.

They include the city of Brandon; the towns ofBirtle,Deloraine,Hartney,Melita, Oak Lake,Roblin andVirden; the villages ofElkhornandWinnipegosis; the Sioux Valley Dakota Nation; and 30 rural municipalities.

A Manitoba Conservation helicopter is on standby in Brandon in case of medical emergencies or rescue missions, and the provincial fire commissioner's office has sent a water rescue team to the city, the province said Wednesday afternoon.

Most of the evacuations to datehave been in the province's southwest corner, including in the town ofVirden, where a surge of water from Saskatchewan has already flooded homes.

"It was sickening. I couldn't believe it. I wanted to cry," said SamanthaHeaman, whose apartment in Virden was ankle deep in water over the weekend.

In Saskatchewan, where 54 communities have states of local emergency in effect,Premier Brad Wall surveyed the flood damage in the province's southeast on Wednesday.

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Wall visited the city of Melville,where a hospital and a care home had to be evacuated on Tuesday because ofrising flood waters. A massive sandbagging operation has been in progress.

The premier said he is working to have a disaster assistance office set up in Melville by Friday.

"I have a hard time describing what I saw from the air just in terms of water that is literally everywhere," he said.

Roads cut to ease water pressure

In the Rural Municipality of Wallace, which includes Virden,crews have cut through two roads to ease thepressure as more water flowsin from the west.

• Manitoba towns brace for surge of floodwater from Saskatchewan

The cutswere madeovernight in an attempt to prevent a larger collapse of the raised roadways, which also serve as dikes.

Wallace Reeve Don Neufeld saidit's better to have the water released a little at a time, rather than have a rush of water if the roads were to let go.

A couple of other roads are still holding and being relied on to serve as dams, he added.

"We're trying not to breach them,"Neufeldsaid.

"That would be disastrous if those couple of roads let go. Then we're in a whole world of hurt."

The RM of Wallaceincludes the communities of Virden,Hargrave,Harmsworth,Kirkella,Kola,Maples andTwo Creeks.

Neufeld saidhe wouldmeet with officials from the province and Town ofVirdenlater Wednesdayto decide if somepeople can return to their homes.

That would be disastrous if those couple of roads let go. Then we're in a whole world of hurt.Reeve DonNeufeld, RM of Wallace

Dave Jordan noticed the water coming up fast at about noon Tuesday. He called in some help to build a dike to protect his house, but by supper time, he was ordered to get out.

There's a lot of water that could come here. It's the old adage, 'Prepare for the worst, hope for the best,' he said.

The RM of Wallace has also issued a warning to people to stay out of the areas where emergencyoperations are happening. Many people have beenstanding and watching the crews, but it is not safe, the warning says.

Anyone found in those areas will face charges.

Brandon expects deluge from west

Brandon, which is Manitoba's second-largest city, is also expecting a deluge of water from Saskatchewan over the next few days.

Cityofficials said Wednesday they arepreparing for the Assiniboine River level to rise quickly by as much as two metres by the time it crests July 11.

But they are confident their flood defencewill be able to handle it.

"Our dike system has been improved since our flood of record in 2011. The dikes have been raised two feet higher than 2011 water levels," stated a news release.

Not far away inPierson, located in the RM of Edward, water has now submerged the last gravel road that was giving people access in andout of the community.

The three other accessroads have been under water since Monday.

Crews are workingto make a new gravel road to serve those who remain in the community of 250 people.An evacuation order forced 20 people out of their homes on the weekend.

The municipality has also suspended fuel sales to the public at the local Co-op gas station to save fuel for essential services and emergency crews.

The area in the gold-colouredzone is under mandatory evacuation