Newest Manitoba flood victims face months from homes

Hundreds of residents evacuated after vicious winds and floodwatersbattered communities along the south end of Lake Manitoba might not get back into their properties for months.

Residents of those areas, in the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent, were given the bad news at a public meeting Wednesday morning.

"It's tough news for people who have been waiting here at the RM office all morning, waiting to find out when they can go home," said CBC reporter Megan Benedictson.

Numerous propertiesin Twin Lakes Beach, Laurentian Beach and Sandpiper Beach are believed to havebeen pounded by the storm Tuesday evening.

Wind-whipped waves were shoved inland where theywashed out roads,spilled over dikes andflooded intohomes and cottages,forcing the evacuation of 700 residences in a few hours.

Earl Zotter, the reeve of the Rural Municipalityof St. Laurent,said he was surprised at the severity of the flooding. He said he didn't expect to see the lake rise so quicky and so soon.

"MaybeI was optimistic butI had really hoped that we wouldn't have seen this at all, But we're not so lucky and nowI think this is going to be a sign of the the times for the rest of the summer."

Zotter saidno one can go back to their propertyunless it isto retrieve vital medical equipment or supplies of that nature.

In the next couple of days, other people will be allowed to go back and get valuables but they'll have to register to go in and they won't be allowed to stay, even if their home managed to stay high and dry.

That's because the infrastructure is just too damaged andbecause there are still two weeks left until the lake, already at historically high levels, is expected to reach its peak.

Lake Manitoba is being fed by floodwaters from the Assiniboine River, channeled through thePortage Diversion.

As a result, the water levels on the lake will remain high for months, so the risk that this could happen again is just too great, Zotter said.

Plus, the protection that was in place prior to Tuesday's storm has been battered, so next time the water could come in even more suddenly.

Tour of destruction

Zotter tried to tour theregion Wednesday morning but was prevented from getting to some areas because of deep water and debris floating around.

"A lot of household appliances have moved. Outbuildings are off their footings or pushed away," he said.

"We saw that there were places that we wouldn't go that were still under water that were still inundated. We had to turn around at a number of different locations because it wasn't safe to go through."

Benedictson was taken through parts of the region by RCMP on Wednesday and described seeing "everything from lumber to televisions to furniture" floating on the water.

Several mature treeshave been toppled over and outbuildings left crumpled and overturned, she said.

The water levels have receded somewhatbut are still covering a vast amount of land.

"I know people are going to want to see their places but we do not want anyone going back in until we can ascertain that our roads are safe. We don't want to have to rescue more people," said deputy Reeve Mona Sedleski.

She saidthe water came right up to Highway 6, which is usually more than a kilometre from the lake.

Rescue mission

Nearly 90 people from the region had to be rescuedby crews usingfront-end loaders andZodiac boats. Helicopters were also used but their efforts were hamperedby thegusting winds.

It was a shock for those who had to get out quickly,caught off guard when the lake roared up.

'I thought I was safe but the wind came up and a wall that I have made out of brick, solid as hell, came right down.' Helen Quinn

"I've got three freezers, full of meat, [and I] couldn't even save a hamburger because it was too sudden.I just never dreamed that this would happen not like this," said Helen Quinn, who wasrescued from her Twin Lakes Beach property by a loader.

She managed to grab two bags of groceries and gether two dogs out, but thatwas it.

Quinn thought she wasprotected becausethere is or was a brick wall in front of her property.

"I thought I was safe but the wind came up anda wall that I have made out of brick, solid as hell, came right down."

'It's really quite devastating to see your property just disappear in front of your eye.' Mona Sedleski

Sedleski, who had to flee herhome, some 60 metres from the lake at Laurentian Beach, is thankful there were no injuries in the chaos.

She quickly surveyed the damage before she left and saidthe scene was unbelievable.

"It's really quite devastating to see your property just disappear in front of your eyes," she said.

"It's going to be major devastation. Absolutely major. There were sheds all the way back onto the road there was no berm left as far as they could see."

While there were no injuries, there were scary moments, according to Benedictson, who spoke with a man who had to rescue his father.

"He says his father couldn't swim and was scared to leave his house.So he waded in for the rescue, grabbed his father and his dog, which he carried through chest-high water, littered with large debris."