St. Andrews, Manitoba, flood risk reduced

The risk of flooding for people living in the rural municipality of St. Andrews, Man., north of Winnipeg, has been reduced following a code red alert that warned residents of a possibleemergency evacuation.

TheRM of St. Andrews issued a noticeThursday that said most ice jams have moved north past Breezy Point, whereNetleyCreek and theRed River meet, and water levelsare going down. Most of the ice jams have moved into an area where no one lives, aSt. Andrews official said.

Ice jams choke up the river, damming it and quickly forcing the water level up.

The notice the RM of St. Andrews issued on Wednesdaywarned people living along the Red River and creeks feeding the river of a possible evacuation. The noticesaid people should remove items from low-lying areas andclear snow from dikes or any place a temporary dike may be needed.

Last weekend theeast side of Highway 204 just before theSelkirkBridge was closed due to flooding.The ice jam that was clogging the Red River in Selkirk let go and moved north towards Netley-Libau Marsh, officials said.

• 'Stubborn' ice jams, rising Red River levels cause concerns in Selkirk

There are still ice jams inBreezy Point but the situation is looking better, a St. Andrews official said. It will be monitored over the weekend.