The flood in Manitoba

[Mounds]

As some of you probably know, Manitoba is facing some serious flooding issues right now. Several parts of the province are in big trouble.

Manitoba is no stranger to flooding, with the flood of 1997 dubbed the "Flood of the Century". However, this flood is considered to be the worst in 300 years. I happen to be in an extremely unfortunate spot and have quite the story to tell...

When the snow began to melt, communities between Brandon and Winnipeg began to scramble to build up their dikes, anticipating that the Assiniboine River would overflow and threaten properties. There was a big problem with this, mainly being that you can't just build a dike off the cuff. Very stable dikes require some root mass to hold the soil in place and it also helps if they very compacted. Many of these dikes were built on frozen soil. Not good.

So here's what happened. The province became concerned that dikes downstream weren't going to hold up and they could potentially bust, flooding a lot of properties. So they made a drastic decision... They decided to do a controlled breach (ie. cut a dike) in our area. This is going to result in a 250 square kilometre flooding area, which will flood at least 150 properties, plus farmland. The cut was made this morning at 8:00AM and the water is spreading very fast.

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Let's skip back to Monday night. My brother, who lives directly across from the breach spot (400 meters away), came home from work (5:00PM) and noticed excavators and dump trucks sitting at the breach site. We got a bad feeling and called the municipality. They told us the plan was to flood the area. Just like that, our neighbourhood was turned upside down.

There was no official announcement of the plans until Tuesday morning. Even then, nobody knew what to do. The media said RCMP were going door to door, yet no one had seen anyone. There had been no phone calls, nothing. No one knew where to get the information. All we could do was watch as heavy machinery ripped apart the highway/dike, which was the only thing standing between us and the river.

Emotionally, this was very difficult. No one seemed to know anything, including the municipalities. Everyone had a different story and none of them sounded particularly good. We all went through the five stages of grief (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance), bouncing around from one to the other.

My dad had foreseen a potential problem and we had ordered 3000 sandbags in the fall. We had 600 filled, which we were going to use around our farm. We immediately started hauling them to my brother's house. There was no information available, expect that the breach could occur as soon as noon that day. My brothers yard became a media circus. By 5:00PM, he must've talked to at least a dozen reporters and he was appearing all over the news.

The proposed time to breach the dike kept changing and finally fell on Saturday. Communities all over pitched in and helped with the sandbagging, which was a monstrous effort. It was actually quite touching to see everyone help out. Military troops from Edmonton were flown in and they've been putting up inflatable dikes. It's far from over, as farther reaching communities are now having problems. I'm going out again tomorrow with my little brother to see where we can pitch in.

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I don't think anyone in the area denies that the province had to make a tough decision. It came down to flooding 150 homes vs flooding 800. However, here are some major issues that are being anticipated...

One is the farm land. This particular area has some of the best farmland in Manitoba, if not the best. By the time the water recedes, it will not be possible to plant. Our business will not have a crop this year. Currently, the government is suggesting that there will be 100% compensation, including lost business, for anyone who is affected by the controlled flood.

Here's the next thing: Portage is an agriculture community. We are part of three large farms, who employ hundreds of people. Without crops, there won't be work. It goes even farther than that. Much of the flooded land is designated for potatoes. Apparently, Simplot and McCains have already warned their employees that 70% of them will be laid off due to potato shortages.

It's going to affect what you see in the grocery store. Broccoli, carrots, green onions, strawberries... they just won't be there. It could be the same for many bedding plants. There's large greenhouse down the road from me. At 1:00PM (almost 4:00PM now), he was on the radio, watching the water come towards his packed greenhouses. If the power goes out, his plants are done for.

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Anyhow, that's my story. My family has four houses in the affected area. I am fairly close to the breach (2.5 miles) but I'm protected by another dike. I'm still pumping water out of my basement/yard but such is life.

I can walk outside and watch army helicopters and planes flying overhead. A large portion of the highway I've travelled everyday for most of my life is literally gone. Every house you drive past has a sandbag dike and half-tons/ATVs are driving all over, looking for people who need help. It's a very surreal experience.

This experience has given me a very different outlook on life. Physically and mentally, I'm exhausted. Spiritually, I've grown immensely. Material possessions mean a whole lot less and family/community means more than ever. I've also had another major boost in confidence and I think I'm going to chase my dreams a bit more adamantly now.

The biggest lesson I've gotten from this is to invest in yourself and others. A natural disaster can take away all the things you work hard for, never to be seen again. What it can't take away is your abilities, your relationships and your experiences. It's sad that things have to be this way but there is still light at the end of the tunnel.

-Tim

[elucidate]

Couldn't read it all, but I just wanted to say hang in there. Do you guys have sandbags set up and stuff, or is past that point? If you already typed that in your post I apologize, it's early morning here and I kinda faded half way through.

[AlmostGodess]

Last year there has been flooding in my country. While nobody died, there were lots of animals left behind those who ran away from the water. We were invaded by hungry cats and dogs, it was such a scene to see. However, people sheltered the animals and fed them what they had.

In these moments people stick to each other in unusual ways.

Lots of love to your city.

[elucidate]

Originally Posted by AlmostGodess

Last year there has been flooding in my country. While nobody died, there were lots of animals left behind those who ran away from the water. We were invaded by hungry cats and dogs, it was such a scene to see. However, people sheltered the animals and fed them what they had.

In these moments people stick to each other in unusual ways.

Lots of love to your city.

It really does bring out the community spirit in people...and that tends to stick afterwards. It's a bonding thing. I always think that's the positive that comes from natural 'disasters'.

[Sfumato]

hang in there, the folks down here in the souther section of the United States are having to make these same hard calls as the Mississippi ravages riverside communities from Paducah to New Orleans. i wish we could free up some people and equipment to help you guys but our own FEMA can't seem to find its arse with both hands right now.

is there some way we can help you and your family?