The Town of Swan River is facing unprecedented flooding after weeks of relentless rain overwhelmed local waterways and forced the severing of major transportation routes.
Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson says heavy rain on already saturated land culminated in rapidly rising water levels Tuesday night and into Wednesday. The surge was so powerful that residents were forced to abandon their sandbagging efforts.
“The amount of sandbagging that you’d have to do in the force of that water, it was just basically wiping out any sandbags that the people were doing,” said Jacobson. “The office was warning us that maybe the water would go up about a foot or roughly about a metre. And we probably have seen it probably more than 10 feet.”
Entire neighbourhoods are currently underwater, including Centennial, Hayes, Duncan, River Park, 6th Avenue, and 7th Avenue, along with Legion Park.
To help mitigate the crisis earlier in the week, crews cut the highway at the local bypass. CN also severed the main rail bed to allow the massive volume of water from the Tamarack and Roaring Rivers to flow through the area.
Travel Heavily Restricted
Travel in and out of the Swan Valley remains severely limited. Highway 10 south of Cowan in the Pine River area is closed and is expected to remain shut down for a very long time. Access to the north near Mafeking is also completely cut off.
“So really the only way to get out is down through south to Benito and you can go across to Pelly and then south to Kamsack and beyond from there,” Jacobson explained. “That’s really the only clear route that you can take out of the valley.”
There are also some limited detours open to the east around Birch River and Lenswood.
A Long Road to Recovery
Manitoba’s premier visited the community on Thursday, speaking directly with affected homeowners and reassuring them that provincial Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) is on the way.
However, Jacobson noted the emotional toll on residents is heavy, as they face a long and frustrating road to recovery once the water recedes and home inspections can finally begin.
Despite the devastation, the community has rallied to support one another. Jacobson praised the tremendous response from local volunteers who continue to provide breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for those displaced by the rising waters.
—with files from Benny Walchuk
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