Rain, rain, go away.
This past weekend, I spent in Brandon, Manitoba. We drove in late Friday evening. I couldn't help but think what was behind all of that blackness?
You see, I receive government news releases to my email every day. As of this morning, I have received 38 flood updates regarding the Assiniboine River throughout the past several weeks.
Being from Manitoba, I am well aware of the damage that flooding can do. The Red River Flood of 1997 is still fresh in my mind, as most media sources focused mainly on the flooding during that time. Images were abundant and news updates were constant.
The 1997 was the most severe flood of the river since 1826. The flood affected the cities of Fargo, Winnipeg, Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. Total damages for the Red River region were $3.5 billion US. Yes, $3.5 billion! The flooding in Manitoba resulted in over $500 million in damages alone, even with the Red River Floodway which saved Winnipeg from the flooding.
So flooding is something I have seen before.But I was not prepared for what I would see waking up on Saturday morning.
I had heard how people were being evacuated, how Brandon was using sandbags that were dubbed as super-sandbags, and how people were preparing to flee their homes throughout southern Manitoba. I had seen pictures on the news and throughout the newspapers.
But actually seeing something is completely different than reading about it.
And actually seeing something is completely different than seeing a picture of it.
As I drove towards 18th Street, one of the main passages through the city, the rain started to sprinkle across my windshield. In the distance was water, water, water and more water. On the radio were warnings of a three-day weather system expected to bring some 20 to 50 millimeters of rain across Southern Manitoba. All I could think was enough is enough already.
Attempting to get on to 18th Street was a story in itself. Down to one lane of traffic both ways, vehicles were backed up from the Corral Centre traffic lights to the Trans Canada Highway. For those of you that are not familiar with Brandon, it is about 2.4 kilometers in length. And that was only at 9 a.m.
Twenty minutes later, I was still inching my way towards the bridge that crosses the Assiniboine River and was wishing I had never left the house. Sandbags lined the road and workers lined the sandbags. Sand trucks were continuous and men manned the forklifts. This was a real state of emergency.
The sight was unreal. The skating oval, a leisure place for many in the city during the winter months, was completely underwater. The tops of buildings, stop signs and speed limit signs were barely noticeable with water covering the majority of the structures. Soccer fields had disappeared and water seeped through the sandbags along the roads.
At the coffee shop where I spent the morning writing, the topic of conversation was solely that of the water. Young moms and their friends talked about the possibility of having to evacuate their house. An elderly group of men playing crib discussed that this may just go down as the flood of the century. Others wondered what would happen if or when the sandbags broke away.
And if I thought 18th Street was bad, 1st Street was a whole different story. Driving along the path was like driving through a huge puddle. Attempts to hold back the water with layer after layer of sandbags was definitely being challenged. As of Sunday, the roadway was closed, leaving Brandonites only one north-south passage through the city. And the question of how long that route will even be there, is widespread throughout the minds of Brandon residents.
Never in my life have I ever been concerned about driving along a road as a result of water. This year is a whole different story. Driving down 1st Street, I couldn't help but think what would happen if one of the bags gave away. The result would be disastrous. The pressure caused by the water would cause havoc for all businesses and residential houses within the area.
Driving along southern Manitoba grid roads, the results of the water damage are obvious. Chunks of roads have broken away as a result of the water. Orange signs mark the danger areas.
In the prairies, we often face challenges created by nature. We have hail storms, tornados, flooding and blizzards. And while the flooding in Brandon is definitely a sight to be seen, it is definitely one that you never want to see on your front door step.
