PRINCE ALBERT — Thirty-five Saskatchewan communities have declared local states of emergency as widespread flooding continues to impact areas of the province, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency confirmed Thursday.
Fourteen of those declarations have come in the past 48 hours, including Muskoday First Nation, the Northern Hamlet of Ste. George’s Hills, the Village of White Fox, and 11 rural municipalities spanning from Aberdeen to Wolverine.
“Currently, the SPA is in contact with each of these communities and is supporting multiple communities and rural areas with staff or equipment resources,” said Jeff Dedekker, SPSA spokesperson.
Those communities are the Muskoday First Nation, the Northern Hamlet of St. George's Hill, the Village of White Fox, and the Rural Municipalities of Aberdeen, Big River, Garden River, Invermay, Kinistino, LeRoy, Moose Range, Prairie Rose, Sasman, Usborne, and Wolverine.
The SPSA is working with multiple agencies, including the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Community Safety, and the Ministry of Highways, to provide resources and support to affected communities.
Dedekker said crews are being sent Thursday to northwestern communities, and an emergency response team provided support to the Buckland area yesterday, delivering 1,000 feet of HESCO flood barriers to the Buckland area.
Leah Clark, executive director of irrigation and economic development for SaskWater Security Agency, said the WSA reported that Carrot River is seeing record flows in certain areas. Smoky Burn recorded the highest water flow in its history at nearly 1,000 cubic metres per second, approximately five times higher than the normal flow of 200 cubic metres per second for this time of year.
The Carrot River has peaked in its upper basin, while the lower portion is showing signs of receding but remains high. Most of the Red Deer River basin, located south of Hudson Bay is expected to peak in the next few days.
Armely recorded its second-highest measurement at almost 400 cubic metres per second, exceeding the seasonal norm of 70 cubic metres per second.
In the Quill Lakes Basin, preliminary assessments suggest the highest-ever recorded flows for Iron Spring, Magnusson and Quill Creeks.
“The late thaw and higher than average snowpack combined with the late spring snowstorms continues to create significant runoff and flooding in the northeastern and east central Saskatchewan,” said Clark.
The high flow advisory first issued in April and updated May 4 remains in effect. Warmer temperatures forecast for east central and northeastern areas in the coming days are expected to accelerate remaining snowpack, prolonging high flows and potentially adding to them.
Highways affected
The province’s roads are facing significant challenges with about 11 provincial highway closures related to flooding and about eight incidents involving water on roadways.
“The fast-moving water is undermining roadbeds and causing challenges on the provincial highway network,” said Dan Palmer, senior communications consultant with the Ministry of Highways. “It’s too early to know what the full impact and cost of flooding will be on the road infrastructure as this event is still unfolding.”
Crews are doing culvert repairs and using pumps to keep roads open where infrastructure can’t keep up with water flows.
Motorists are urged to check with the Highway Hotline before travelling, as conditions continue to change rapidly.
“All drivers are reminded to check the highway hotline before travelling and before heading back from their destinations for the latest available updates,” said Palmer. “Road closures related to flooding and other incidents information can be seen on the interactive map.”
