Manitoba Water Woes Continue

Clear blue sky on a very warm June day and Maple Grove Colony is still battling the Souris River...

In our area, along the Assinaboine River things seem to have settled down for now, but the Souris flows into the Assiniboine which means the Portage Diversion will once again be operating above capacity, testing the dikes in the area. Along the Souris River Maple Grove colony is having major problems. They've been diking for a long time now with flood water very close to their buildings. "Our people are tired and we couldn't do this without the help of other colonies." one member commented. "And the crest isn't here yet. It's the unknown that is worrisome. How much water will still come?"


dike at the cow barn



cow pasture

leaking dikes

Valley View Colony helping out

colony garden



back road to colony

Thank you Cheryl Hofer for giving us a glimpse of what you're dealing with! Remember, you're not alone, even though we're not physically there to help, we're there in spirit and with praying hearts.



For more on this flood



Thy Neighbour as Thyself

          The disturbing news that our provincial government had decided to breach the Hoop ‘n’ Holler bend in order to take pressure off the weakening Assiniboine River dikes raised mixed feelings. “Why do we have to be the scape goats?” one area resident protested. Another wondered, “How can they decide to sacrifice my land to spare others’ properties?”

Others saw beyond that: “I totally understand why they chose this spot. It’s an oxbow of the Assiniboine, so the current isn’t as strong.”

The “method” to the controlled breach “madness” was to save a more populated area from potential flooding, which in turn meant the people south-east of this bend would be sacrificing their homes and/or livelihoods for others.

            With that menacing scenario in mind, a flood of activities united our community to brace for the breach. People from all walks of life generously donated time, energy and resources to protect homes from the Assiniboine breach water.  Not just area residents and those whose properties were threatened – everyone involved –  was treated to a dramatic demonstration of neighbourly love. High schoolers worked shoulder to shoulder with retirees, city and town folk beside farmers, while Hutterites served food to army regiments.

The Flood, From My Vantage Point…

… which unfortunately happens to be front row seats to this once in a lifetime drama, ‘Bracing for the Breach’, starring Raging Assiniboine. Scratch the popcorn, we’re pitching sandbags!

What a switch from previous years when we were far removed from the flood zone! My colony, Elm River is just five miles east of the newly famed Hoop ‘n’ Holler -- the little bend that was put on the map this week. To set the scene, we have the raging Assiniboine two miles north of us, the waiting-for- the-big-spill Elm River, two miles south and the La Salle, thus far quietly rippling right through our colony.

There’s a CN railroad track between us and the Elm River, the area which will be most affected when the 331 Hwy will be breached. I‘ve heard the train rumbling past thousands of times, never looking at it as more than another aspect of our prairie landscape. Today, I have another perspective, as it may well be the blessed barrier that keeps the water from reaching our colony. Along with everybody else, we’re watching, hoping and praying, especially for the people who will be directly affected by this spill.

One Day After the Big Breach...

... it is wait and see for many people in the area, with the water, as predicted, slowly creeping towards their property. For an update watch.

With all the stress people are having to deal with, it's obvious their sense of humour is still OK. I saw a clip of a women sit on her sandbag dike with a fishing rod and quipped, "Well, if we can't go to the lake, we'll wait till the lake comes to us."

Looks like there's a young boy with a very timely invention.

For exceptional Winnipeg Free Pree aerial and ground flood footage.

Flood Pictures

Here are some pictures, mostly of sandbagging efforts. It's a bit difficult to come close to water, because of security, but we have a few shots. Watch an aerial view of the spill. Incredible really, and we're just five miles east from there.








the Our Farm greenhouse

 


the breach site









sandbagging



from the Portage diversion bridge



feeding appreciative troops



The Breach Has Happened

Emotions are running high this morning, as the dike has been breached and for people directly affected it's fear of the unknown, Yes, water will hit their property, but to what extent? One family we know has a green house and they are still there anxiuosly waiting inside their sandbag dikes, with a motor boat waiting should they have to leave suddenly. This green house is their livelihood and of course they want to see what happens. Other neighbors have left their homes for how long they don't know. For a visual update click here.

Listening to CBC is quite touching as people call in and offer help people, opening their homes to people who need to evacuate, offering to take care of pets and so much more. This is Manitoba community spirit at it's finest!

It definately feels different being in a flood zone as opposed to being far removed. We know many of the people and have helped (and are continuing to) with sandbagging, preparing and bringing food, storing food in our freezer for them. Our hearts go out to all our neighbors, while we hope and pray the railroad track will indeed be the barrier that keeps the water from our colony. Stay posted, I will try to leave updates as things unfold.

I was going to post pictures, but my sister has them on her computer and she's out sandbagging. We just learned that a neighboring family needs sandbaggers, and they're not even home.

Later...

Still Fighting the Flood

The tension in the area is still pretty high, with the dike breach projected to take place early tomorrow morning. This means volunteers, along with many from our colony out in forces, frantically helping neighbors protect their homes. Our kitchen is busy preparing and delivering food to sandbaging sites. Yesterday for supper it was chili and fresh baked buns. The noon meal today it consisted of perogies, chicken and gritz soup.Our colony, which happens to be 'on the right side of the railroad tracks' will hopefully not be affected. However 90% of our fields are in the 'controlled flooding' area. To see a glimpse of community spirit at work in this crisis click here. For the latest on the dike breach, just 5 miles from here.

I just got back from taking food to people who are still busy with last minute diking. We served mostly soldiers who really appreciated a hot home-cooked meal of stew and fresh buns, cookies and coffee for dessert. It's official, the breach will happen at 6 AM tomorrow.

We're grateful for all emails and phone calls from many people far and near. Even though you're not physically present, your prayers, inquiries, offers to help and kind words are helping to keep our spirits up as we continue to fight the menacing Assiniboine.

Deep and Wide -- our swollen rivers

            A friend recently gave me a copy of a May 17, 1950 Winnipeg Free Press Weekly. ‘Hmmm, let’s see what made the news way back then,’ I mused as I turned the yellowed, brittle pages. I soon learned some of the headlines could have been from today’s paper. “Big Red’s Disaster Toll Staggers Manitoba”. Then this article caught my eye: “Grain Auger Doubles as Water Pump” Apparently someone at a Winnipeg Massey-Harris warehouse invented a creative way to pump water. ‘Manitoba floods offer further proof of western ingenuity. Grain loaders of the auger type are being used to keep implement basement dry.’ Bill Cann, shop foreman ‘rigged up a system of pulleys on an auger and power take-off on a tractor’ which he figured ‘threw up 5,000 gallons of water per hour’.

            Today, thanks to Duffy’s Ditch and the Portage Spillway things don’t look quite as grim. Nevertheless, flood waters are causing stress in many areas, including some evacuations and road closures.

            A birds-eye view of the Souris River near Lauder, taken by Bruce Bumstead, Brandon Sun photographer. The buildings are Maple Grove Colony.

Making sandbags at Maple Grove Colony. Sandbagging efforts like this one were dubbed Operation Flooderite during the 1997 flood.
Photo by Cheryl Hofer

For flood footage in southern MB, from Jack Maendel’s vantage point visit Manitoba Flood 2011.