Flood Forces Rooftop Rescues

Tuesday, 14 April 2009 11:42

Headline News

Several communities north of Winnipeg were inundated with Red River floodwaters early Sunday, with reports of some residents in St. Andrews and St. Clements being stranded on rooftops.

More than 40 people north of Winnipeg were rescued overnight by boats and amphibious vehicles and dozens of homes were damaged — some moved off their foundations by massive blocks of ice.

Overnight into Sunday morning, floodwaters rose dramatically and a number of residents on both sides of the Red were stranded.

Don Forfar, the reeve of St. Andrews, said some had to be rescued from the roofs of their homes. "There's entire homes that have been bashed and removed by ice," he said.

Don Brennan, Manitoba's director of emergency measures, said no one was injured but the rescue was dangerous. The bloated Red River is running at about twice its normal speed this time of year at more than 80,000 cubic feet per second.

"We could have easily lost rescuers today. The conditions were very dangerous with the water and ice that was moving very fast around that community."

Source: CBC