Manitoba premier announces provincewide disaster financial assistance program for flood damage

Some Manitobans whose homes were damaged by flooding during storms before this hebdomad testament be able-bodied to get at a disaster financial assistance program fund, Premier Wab Kinew said Thursday.

"Your provincial government is going to make sure that there are the resources to help you clean up, to rebuild and to recover from these terrible storms that we've been seeing," Kinew told reporters during a visit to Stonewall on Thursday. 

The town, located about 30 kilometres north of Winnipeg, received more rain than any other southern Manitoba community during severe storms that drenched the region Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Stonewall had more than 255 millimetres of precipitation reported by Wednesday morning, according to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network, which Environment and Climate Change Canada uses when gathering reports. 

Mayor Sandra Smith called the rainfall "unprecedented" in a Wednesday interview. 

Kinew toured Stonewall and Balmoral, which is north of Stonewall, to assess the aftermath Thursday. 

"You can see there's a lot of people dealing with a lot of water, and there's going to be a lot of cleanup, and there's going to be a lot of rebuilding," he said. 

People with homes affected by flooding should check coverage with their insurance provider first, the premier said. He said the provincewide disaster financial assistance program has been activated to help cover what insurance doesn't. 

"We're stepping in with the DFA program at the provincial level to ensure that where insurance may not meet the needs of Manitobans, there's going to be other resources there to help people out," Kinew said. 

The premier did not specify how much the fund will cost when asked by reporters. 

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"When it comes to a situation like this, the money is not an issue. We're going to be there with the resources necessary to help people rebuild and to recover," he said. 

Kinew said the province will "start working with people right away" to cover costs. 

Several highways in areas affected by flooding have been sliced open to relieve pressure from pooling water, the premier said. Highway 7 near Stonewall, Highway 10 near Swan River and Highway 221 in the rural municipality of Rosser have all been cut, he said.

The premier said Highway 221 was cut to help the Rosser community and the Dorsey converter station, through which more than 70 per cent of electricity produced in the province is transmitted, Manitoba Hydro has said. 

A spokesperson for Manitoba Transportation said the road was cut due to a failed culvert and flooding in the area. All lanes on Highway 221 are closed between Highway 101 and Marquette, the province said.

Manitoba Hydro spokesperson Peter Chura said in a statement the converter station's non-essential staff members have been asked to work from other locations due to flooded roads and potential access issues.

The provincial Crown corporation said the facility is still operating and there is no service impact for customers.

Rosser, which is sandwiched between the northwestern corner of Winnipeg and Stonewall, declared a local state of emergency due to overland flooding and power outages in the area. 

A handful of Grosse Isle residents were evacuated by boat early Wednesday after basements and vehicles were damaged by flooding.

Rosser's reeve, Ken Mulligan, said water is flowing into low-lying areas and crossing over roadways. Officials have had to close roads to keep drivers safe, he said, and more closures could be coming. 

"I think the water is going to stick around here for a while and probably pile up even higher and possibly take on other roads," Mulligan said, adding nearby waterways could already be filled with more water than usual.

"There's bodies of water all over the place." 

Mulligan, whose family farms thousands of acres in the municipality, estimates about a third of their land is underwater. He said some area farmers are likely spending "sleepless nights" worrying about whether their crops will survive. 

His home's basement was also affected by flooding. 

Jamie Hickes, who lives in the rural municipality, said his power was knocked out by falling trees as rain poured down during this week's storm.

His basement flooded, and power outages meant his sump pump wasn't working. 

"Everything was all ruined there," Hickes said. 

Highway cut, fields flooded in rural municipality of Rosser

"The insulation is all soaked there … the hot water tank and the furnace and everything's all full of water."

Now his sump pump is "going off constantly" after picking up a generator. 

"I hope we don't get [any] more water, that's for sure. And no more power outages," Hickes said.

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