City residents have little to fear in terms of flooding this spring, Weyburn Fire Chief Steve Debienne said in an update on the City of Weyburn's flood plan in a presentation to city council on Feb.
City residents have little to fear in terms of flooding this spring, Weyburn Fire Chief Steve Debienne said in an update on the City of Weyburn's flood plan in a presentation to city council on Feb. 28, in his role as head of the Emergency Measures Organization (EMO).
He noted first of all that Weyburn is protected by a dike system that is rated for a 1:500-year flood; in other words, it can withstand up to a flood severe enough that it only appears once in 500 years.
"So the city is prepared to deal with a higher than average runoff," said Chief Debienne, adding that the city's flood plan is continually being updated as conditions warrant.
As part of dealing with a flood, the city can close off Government Road and Highway 39, and Third Street, which would force detours to be put in place, he noted; for the most part, however, "it's business as usual, and the engineering department has been through a number of high-water years."
He gave the report in response to recent predictions from the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority that the spring runoff will be "well above normal", and combined with saturated soil levels, the moisture will cause area rivers and creeks to rise and likely flood in some areas.
As the city is prepared to handle whatever will come down this spring, he urged citizens to also be ready for any weather-related emergency that might arise, this spring or later in the summer and fall.
Chief Debienne urged every household to have a plan in place if, for example, they need to escape their home, and they should each have a personal support network they can turn to in the time of a dire emergency.
