Minnedosa Tribune
A COMMUNITY RALLY
Minnedosa comes together as rising waters bring flood threat and a state of emergency for the commun ity
DONALD BERGER
Minnedosa Tribune
Minnedosa entered this week under a state of local emergency as rising water on the Little Saskatchewan River forced the community into another round of flood preparation.
The Town of Minnedosa declared
the state of local emergency on Sunday, July 5, allowing officials to access additional resources as water levels continued to rise. According to the Town’s Tuesday update, the declaration is to remain in place for 30 days, unless it is lifted earlier.
The emergency declaration followed several days of urgent flood preparations, including sandbagging and plenty of neighbour-to-neighbour support, after heavy rainfall across western Manitoba sent water moving through the Parkland region and downstream toward Minnedosa.
A July 1 provincial flood bulletin reported significant damage across the Parkland, including road washouts, restricted travel and multiple communities under states of emergency. The bulletin also warned that water levels on reservoirs and lakes, including Minnedosa Dam, could rise by one to three feet over the following days.
At a public information meeting held July 4 at the Minnedosa Community Conference Centre and broadcast by NACTV, Mayor Ken Cameron told residents the Town was receiving daily flood briefings from provincial officials while preparing vulnerable areas around the community.
Town ofMinnedosa employees along with volunteers pile sandbags dropped offby Heritage Co-op on 1st St.S.E.in Minnedosa on Tuesday,July 7
PHOTO BY RYAN NESBITT/MINNEDOSA TRIBUNE