May long Winnipeg storm cleanup could take weeks, city says

Winnipeg crews have made headway cleaning up the mess left by storms on the May long weekend, but the city's forester says it could be another two weeks before everything is back to normal.

Communities across southern Manitoba have spent the last couple days cleaning up downed trees and power lines after gale-force winds from the north swept down through the province.

• Power restored to most Winnipeg homes, some rural areas still in the dark

• Southern Manitoba power outages result of wet, high winds, Hydro says

As of Tuesday morning, the City of Winnipeg received 230 calls from residents needing help removing fallen trees and debris from their properties.

The city's forester Martha Barwinsky said trees broken or weakened from the wind made up the bulk of the calls.

"It was widespread," said Barwinsky, adding no one area of Winnipeg was hit particularly worse than others. "Generally we see more damage in areas that have more mature trees, but overall it was pretty even throughout the city."

Homeowners with trees damaged over the weekend can call 311 to report a dangerous tree or debris on city property.