Flooding triggers emergencies in 13 Saskatchewan communities

In the RM of Meadow Lake, there is no new flooding emergency despite being included in the SPSA’s latest provincial flooding update.

Administrator and CAO Tracy Smith-Mysko told meadowlakeNOW that the municipality has been renewing its existing local state of emergency each week since it was first declared April 21. She said the weekly renewal is an administrative requirement with the SPSA and does not reflect any new flooding.

“Nothing has changed,” Smith-Mysko said, adding the renewal process will continue until council decides the emergency declaration can be lifted.

Smith-Mysko said the municipality has largely completed road repairs, with no road closures remaining. She said crews are now focused on repairing damage caused by the spring flooding, including replacing culverts as materials become available.

Jen Schad said her home flooded several times in a matter of days in Canora. (Image Credit: Submitted/Jen Schad)

Meanwhile, homes in other communities are under water. Jen Schad said her family hauled water out of their basement with five gallon pails Sunday night in Canora.

The town, 238 kilometres northeast of Regina, saw floodwaters four feet deep in some areas of the community.

“It was just a complete disaster,” Schad said. “Like, people were canoeing in the streets and kayaking.

“It came down so quick that nobody really had a chance to prevent much.”

Brandi Zavislak, the community development officer with the Town of Canora, said the sewer lifts didn’t break, they were overwhelmed with the heavy rainfall.

She said at least 75 people had called about property damage due to the flooding.

“I have a lot of empathy for a lot of these people experiencing this,” Zavislak said.

“Sewage backup is not fun as it is, but I mean there are people that have sent me pictures, multiple feet of sewer damage.

Jen Schad said there were several feet of water that ran through Canora. (Image Credit: Submitted/Brandi Zavislak)

Zavislak said it had been a challenging few days for people in the community.

Some people had not been able to use the bathroom for a few days due to sewer back-ups, so the town has brought in portable bathrooms.

“They’re very tired, they’re exhausted, because they haven’t been sleeping,” she said.

“They’re feeling very overwhelmed, and they’re frustrated.”

The town has waived landfill fees for anyone who was affected by flooding.

Zavislak said the community has applied for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) Provincial Disaster Assistance Program.

Floodwater washed through Togo. Zene Woodworth said several roads to get to the village were damaged during the fast moving floods. (Image Credit: Submitted/Shannon Deveau)

People couldn’t even see the streets in the village of Togo when the downpour occurred.

Zoria Woodworth runs the Empress Hotel, and said she found five feet of water in the basement.

“It was just a big lake all over the place,” she said. “Things were floating, railroad ties, everything all over the place, all over town.”

Her son, Zene, came to help set up sump pumps at his mom’s business.

“Our ground is right saturated,” he said. “We just need some dry weather here. It’s just creeping, creeping in as fast we can pump it out.”

The community only has a population of 80 people, but Zene said just about everyone is dealing with water damage in some capacity.

He said everyone is wiped from multiple days of clean up.

“Stressed and exhausted,” Zene said. “Just a big headache, a person doesn’t eat right, nobody needs this.”

According to the Water Security Agency, rainfall amounts over the past week have ranged from 100-275mm, or as much as 11 inches, in localized areas.

“These localized flood events are very difficult to predict and manage, and they’re driven by intense storm systems which drop a lot of water in a short period,” Leah Clark from the Water Security Agency (WSA) said.

Clark added the WSA has been working with municipal utility operators who are dealing with the impacts to drinking water and wastewater systems.

The heavy rain continues to impact highways as well, with 17 highway closures and another 18 incidents of water on driving lanes.

The Ministry of Highways says it’s trying to make repairs as quickly as possible. Travellers can find the latest road closures and conditions on the Highway Hotline website.

— with files from 980 CJME’s Geoff Smith

by Gillian Massie/CKOM

Flooding triggers emergencies in 13 Saskatchewan communities

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