RM OF CONNAUGHT — A family in the RM of Connaught says it is facing heartbreak and uncertainty after rising floodwaters forced them to evacuate their farm by boat earlier this week.
Sierra Bassingthwaite told SaskToday her family fled their property on Monday, May 4, after water from the Carrot River rapidly surrounded their home and buildings.
“We basically had to leave everything,” Bassingthwaite told SaskToday. “Vehicles, tractors, the house, all of our belongings.”
Bassingthwaite, her parents and younger brother were evacuated with the help of a neighbour who used a boat to reach the property. The family is now staying at a motel in Nipawin while monitoring conditions at the farm.
The Carrot River is now about 200 metres from the family’s home and property.
The family has a mixed farming operation that produces hay and greenfeed bales. Multiple family-run businesses based on the property are also at risk, including her sister’s dog grooming business, Pups and Kits Pet Services, which has operated from the farm for six years.
Bassingthwaite said the business had recently expanded into a new shop built about a year and a half ago.
In a May 4 social media post, the business announced it would close indefinitely because of the flooding.
“Due to the flooding from the river, the farm we are located on is underwater, including our salon, so we will be closed until further notice,” the post stated.
Outbuildings and farm equipment have also been affected, with some machinery already underwater.
“Equipment, tractors, underwater, engines — I’m worried all of that won’t work,” Bassingthwaite said.
The family was also forced to leave behind a dog at the property, though a neighbour has continued travelling back and forth by boat to care for the animal.
Bassingthwaite said one of the most difficult parts of the disaster has been the emotional toll on the family, particularly after her father experienced serious health issues last year.
“The hardest part is that my dad was sick last year and in the hospital,” she said. “A lot of things were put on pause last spring, and we thought this summer we were finally going to do all these things.”
Instead, those plans have been replaced by uncertainty.
“It’s hard to keep positive,” she said. “We had so many plans this summer, and now those plans are done.”
The family has also struggled to get answers from insurance providers despite carrying farm all-risk insurance coverage for natural disasters.
“Not knowing what is going to be provided, how do you rebuild — it’s hard,” she said.
In a lengthy Facebook post shared May 4, Bassingthwaite described the devastation facing her family.
“This isn’t just a farm. This is our entire life,” she wrote. “Years of work. Years of sacrifice. Gone in what feels like an instant.”
She also described the emotional impact of enduring another major hardship so soon after her father’s hospitalization.
“We hadn’t even fully recovered … and now this,” she wrote. “It feels like we’ve been hit again before we ever had the chance to catch our breath.”
A GoFundMe campaign has also been launched to help the family cover costs and setbacks caused by the flooding. In the fundraiser description, Bassingthwaite said many people had asked how they could help the family during the crisis.
Despite the destruction, Bassingthwaite said support from neighbours and the broader community has helped the family endure the crisis.
“The community has been amazing,” she said. “Phone calls, neighbours checking on us, lending us a vehicle and watching over the yard.”
According to Bassingthwaite, two other homes in the RM of Connaught were also evacuated because of flooding.
The RM of Connaught No. 457 said on social media that residents requiring evacuation assistance, flood control support or other emergency help should contact the municipal office. The RM also stated it is applying for assistance through the Provincial Disaster Assistance Program and encouraged residents to document flood damage with photographs and timestamps.
Bassingthwaite said the experience has been traumatic for her family and others facing flooding across northeast Saskatchewan.
“It’s emotional. It’s grief,” she said. “Everything you planned for the summer — Mother’s Day coming up, gardens ready to go — it’s all changed.
“We aren’t where we’re comfortable, and this is a constant high-stress situation. It’s hard.”
