State of emergency in Emerson

The Manitoba town of Emerson has declared a state of emergency after weekend storms hammered the small community locatednear the U.S. border.

Virtually every homeowner in the town of about 700 has had their homes flooded by a deluge of rain that overtaxed the local sewer system.

Mayor Wayne Arseny said more than 15 centimetres of rain pelted the community, while Environment Canada is reporting 10.2 centimetres of rain fell there on Saturday alone.

About four metres of water has collected in the underpass leading into town and has prompted officials to divert all traffic away from the area.

"I would say that almost every residence in town here had impact," Arseny said.

"It came down hard and the ditches filled and then, like I say, the yards filled. Then, I guess water came in through basement windows.

"And then of course the backing up of sewage isn't a pretty sight in the basement either," Arseny added.

While no lives were threatened, the state of emergency was declared because of the extent of the damage, Arseny said.

Emerson is about 100 kilometres south of Winnipeg.