‘Swan Valley is in trouble’: Flooded Manitoba town declares state of emergency

The MLA representing a western Manitoba town that declared a state of emergency due to overland flooding is urging the province to intervene.

The town of Swan River, 480 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg near the Saskatchewan boundary, says prolonged rainfall has led to rising water levels and widespread overland flooding.

The town says the situation poses a risk to public safety, critical infrastructure and private property, and that water levels in low-lying areas have resulted in flooded roadways that have restricted access to some parts of town.

Mayor Lance Jacobson estimates 190 millimetres of rain fell in the town since the weekend. 

“It’s been a challenge here to say the least,” he said in a phone interview on Tuesday.

“If you asked me 24 hours ago, I’d say to you that we have no potential of any flooding because… it’s never been a situation that we would have to prepare for because it’s just never happened before.”

That changed Monday when the nearby Roaring River, a tributary of Swan River, burst its banks and caused the Tamarack Creek to overflow. 

“The creek is just not big enough to handle this volume of water, and the water just had nowhere else to go but into the town,” said Jacobson. 

By Monday evening, the industrial part of the town started to see flooding.

Some businesses in the area flooded, and water has crept into some residential areas, putting homes at risk. 

There’s also been a loss of cellphone service in the area, and gas and electricity have been cut off to some communities, according to Swan River MLA Rick Wowchuk. The legislative member also warns the local agriculture industry could be devastated, and that livestock is in danger.

Wowchuk is asking for “direct intervention” from Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor.

“Both have been missing in action since this emergency began,” Wowchuk said in a statement. “The premier was eager to promise funding and pose for photo ops of him tossing sandbags earlier this spring for a potential flood. Where is he when roads and bridges are washed out? Swan Valley is in trouble.

”My constituents are looking for reassurances from their provincial government,” added Wowchuk. “We have communities that are entirely cut off from the outside world. We have heavily damaged roads and bridges that urgently need re-building. What is the province doing to expedite the repairs that are so desperately needed?”

Kinew says sandbagging efforts began overnight and air ambulance support is on hand if people who are stranded need to get to a hospital.

Jacobson said the province is considering opening up a section of a highway leading into Swan River to help water flow through the Tamarack Creek more quickly. 

Some in the town of roughly 4,000 have voluntarily left, but a mandatory evacuation order has not been issued for residents. 

The province’s latest flood bulletin issued on Tuesday said the Parkland Region, which Swan River is part of, could see up to 70 millimetres of rain in the coming days. 

A flood warning for western Manitoba, including the Parkland region, remains in effect. 

Several communities throughout the province continue to be impacted by high water levels, leading to the loss of road access, flooded properties and damage to infrastructure. 

Kinew says the nearby community of Minitonas-Bowsman is expected to get power restored later Tuesday after the same storm knocked out critical infrastructure. Minitonas-Bowsman declared a state of emergency Monday morning.

The Crown-owned corporation said it is working with a local fire department to identify and isolate properties in Minitonas that have water damaged electrical panels. 

The south end of the community could see an outage until Wednesday because a line serving the area is completely washed out. 

“We are building about 1.5 kilometers of temporary line to bypass the damaged section, that involves setting about a dozen poles. Access remains difficult due to washed out roads and bridges,” said Manitoba Hydro spokesman Peter Chura. 

“Crews coming from Swan River can only use back roads that won’t support heavy equipment, so bucket trucks and diggers had to come from Dauphin.”

The province said areas in southern, eastern and central Manitoba, including the Interlake region, could receive between 30 and 50 millimetres of rain this week. 

–With files from The Canadian Press