Flooding prompts states of emergency

A state of emergency has been declared in the Rural Municipalities of Mossey River and Gimli as well as the village of Winnipegosis due to flooding.

Strong northerly winds off Lake Winnipegosis have caused high wavesand pushed the water inland.

Josephine Bunka, a spokeswoman withthe Emergency Measures Organization in Winnipegosis, said the area campground is flooded as are houses near there.

Four homes in Winnipegosis have been evacuated, according to a news release from the provincial government. A reception centre for thosepeople and anyone elseneeding assistance has been set up in the village.

The Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) has also co-ordinated the evacuation of six homeowners just outside of Winnipegosis whose properties were surrounded by water overnight, the news release stated.Those people are now staying with family or friends.

Crewswere sandbagging and building dikes through the nightin an attempt to contain the water, but it was still carried inland by the gusting winds from a storm that has been blasting much of southern Manitoba.

In the RM of Gimli, there is a voluntary evacuation on Willow Island andit is expected that people in other areas will be forced to leave asthe causeway will likely be impassable, according to municipal officials.

Gimli MayorTammy Axelssonsaid about 80 per cent of residents on Willow Island, is just south of the town of Gimli,have already left.

Homes evacuated, highways closed

Elsewhere in the province, at Sagkeeng First Nation,10 homes have been evacuated due to overland floodingand more are threatened, according to Charmagne de Veer, a spokesperson with the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.

As well, thebridge on Highway 11 is in dangerfromflash flooding, De Veer said.

InFisher River Cree Nation, 14 homes arethreatenedby water fromheavy rains, thoughno one has been evacuated. Community officials are using pumps to move the water away from the homes, the provincial government stated.

The province hassupplied twoemergency response trailers andinflatable tubedams to help fight the flooding.

Theprovince has also supplied one emergency response trailer and inflatable dams to the Rural Municipalityof St. Andrews where Netley Creek is flooding due to heavy rains.

The weather has also impacted travel in many parts of the province. Highway319 just west ofHighway 59 has been temporarily closed due to water over the roadway. Similarly, Highway209 near Volga and Highway320, just north of Highway4 are all closed.

The latest information on water levels and road conditions is available at theGovernment of Manitoba website.

Debris blown off building

In Winnipeg, extremely windy conditionsare causinghavoc. Debris blew off abuilding forced police to shut downHiggins Avenuebetween Annabella Street and Waterfront Drive for about an hour, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Throughout the city, branches snapped from trees littered the ground whileshingles were blown off some houses.

The storm, which has been tracking north-northeastward across southern Manitoba,has dumped50 to 100 millimetresof rain since Monday afternoon.

Winds have gusted between 70 km/h and90 km/h,and getting as high as 110 km/h inexposed areas, according to Environment Canada.

Power outages

Approximately1,000hydro customerswere without power in the Interlake region early Wednesdayevening. Manitoba Hydro said the areas around Patricia Beach, Grand Beach, Gull Lake and the rural areas in between are affected.

The wind, rain and downed trees are mostly to blame, Hydro officials said.

CBCNews meteorologist John Sauder said a pressure gradient is causing the windy conditions.

"We're on the backside of [the storm]now and the pressure is changing rapidly over a short spacial distance. So it's kind of like forcing wind through Portage and Main with the tall buildings," he said.

The storm has also brought a lot ofsnow to some parts.Killarney has received about 12 centimetres while the International Peace Gardens at the Manitoba-U.S. border has had30 centimetres.