Fargo crisis won't happen in Manitoba: Doer
Last Updated: Friday, March 27, 2009 | 2:44 PM CT
CBC News
Manitoba Premier Gary Doer and MP Vic Toews, who spoke to reporters at the Manitoba Floodway on Friday, are confident Manitoba is in good shape to weather the rising Red River waters. (James Turner/CBC)Premier Gary Doer is confident the critical flood situation in Fargo, N.D., won't be repeated in Manitoba when the crest of the Red River crosses the international border.
The real issue isn't managing the water, but managing the ice floes that are preventing the opening of the Winnipeg floodway gates, said Doer, who spoke with the media near the banks of the floodway on Friday, joined by Treasury Board President Vic Toews, Manitoba's senior cabinet minister in Ottawa.
"Bottom line is, we can handle the water in most cases. It's the issue of what does the ice do to the water," he said. "That's our challenge and keeps us on our toes."
The floodgates can't be opened until the ice floes move further north.
On Thursday morning, an ice jam that had caused severe flooding in St. Andrews throughout the previous day finally broke loose. But a couple of hours later it reformed 13 kilometres downstream at Lower Fort Garry.
'Bottom line is, we can handle the water in most cases. It's the issue of what does the ice do to the water. That's our challenge and keeps us on our toes.'—Premier Gary Doer
Not long after, another jam formed closer to Lockport, near the floodgates. Together, the ice jams are choking the river.
If they don't budge when the temperatures rise early next week, the Red River is going to back up and potentially flood over the banks in the area.
A similar situation flooded several homes in the St. Andrews area earlier this week. Doer said the federal government has pledged financial aid to those homeowners.
The federal government is also offering the assistance of the Canadian military, should Manitoba need it. Toews said Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan have been brought up to speed on the province's situation.
"The armed forces only gets involved at the request of the provincial government. At this time, we don't anticipate involving them [but] at the call of the province we are ready to provide that service," Toews said.
The flood waters are expected to cross over into Manitoba in about 10 days. The crest is then anticipated to reach Winnipeg between April 12 and 17.
