This ice jam near Lockport, north of Winnipeg, is threatening to back the Red River over its banks. (Government of Manitoba)

Manitobans responded in droves to a call for help as flood preparations entered the final stretch.

The rural municipalities of West St. Paul, St. Andrews and Selkirk, north of Winnipeg, asked for volunteers to fill sandbags and build dikes, and hundreds responded on Friday.

The parking lot of the South St. Andrews Fire Hall at 5610 Main St. was full to capacity, forcing people to park on side roads with police directing traffic.

Busloads of volunteers were dispatched to vulnerable properties identified by municipal officials while dozens of other people filled sandbags at the fire hall.

One of the ice jams causing problems in the province is this one at Selkirk, north of Winnipeg. (Government of Manitoba)

Flood preparation in the highest-priority areas, between Lockport and Selkirk, is almost 100 per cent complete, said Paul Guyader, emergency co-ordinator for the region. The main focus will then shift to between Selkirk and Breezy Point, where six dikes are being built and four more need to be started.

Volunteers were also sent to the Marine Museum of Manitoba, located in Selkirk, to move artifacts. The museum, which gathers ships, artifacts and other items relating to marine life, to tell the story of the development and the operation of marine life on Lake Winnipeg and the Red River, was damaged when ice jams caused flooding two years ago.

The goal is to have all of the at-risk properties protected and an emergency stock of 60,000 sandbags at the ready by the end of Saturday, said Guyader.

When the work is done, Guyader will encourage the volunteer crews to join the sandbagging efforts in south Winnipeg and the community of St. Norbert.

South Winnipeg, St. Norbert preparing

Winnipeg flood officials have identified 195 at-risk properties in the city and just south of the Perimeter Highway in St. Norbert.

Those properties have been staked out and it is urgent those homeowners build up their dikes, said flood protection engineer Grant Mohr.

Four possible ice jams are being eyed within city limits: at the South Perimeter Bridge, Kingston Crescent, the Louise Bridge and the Redwood Bridge. If they choke off the flow of the river, the water will rapidly back up and spill over the banks, said Mohr.

The gates to the 48-kilometre floodway channel that diverts water around the city can't be opened until the large pans of ice have moved away. But if the gates don't open, the Red River will continue to flow into the city limits and keep rising.

Province working to free up floodway

If ice floes get into the channel, they could clog up or slam into the St. Mary's Bridge and cause structural damage.

If the floodway isn't operational and able to divert water around the city when the crest hits, river levels could reach 25 feet inside Winnipeg — higher than the so-called flood of the century in 1997.

Provincial officials are trying to break up the ice at the floodway's entry gates south of the city and hope to activate it next week, said Manitoba Water Stewardship spokesman Steve Topping.

Currently, the river is 16 feet above normal winter ice conditions and forecasters say a peak of 20.5 feet could occur on the weekend or early next week.

Homeowners in the at-risk areas are being urged to build their dikes to 24.5 feet to be safe.

The crest of the floodwaters, which are quickly approaching Emerson, Man., at the international border, are expected to arrive in Winnipeg sometime between April 8 and 17.

Provincial officials are confident the floodway will be in action before then, dropping the peak level in the city to an expected 18.5 feet. However, if it isn't operational, water levels could reach 25 feet inside Winnipeg, which is higher than the so-called flood of the century in 1997.

Some of the Winnipeg properties identified as most at risk — along North Drive, South Drive, Kingston Crescent and Kingston Row — are situated at a tight bend of the Red River around the Wildwood neighbourhood.

Seier Bay is a short street near the tip of another bend near the University of Manitoba.

Christie Road and Cloutier Drive are in St. Norbert, tucked inside another tight curve in the river, while Lord Avenue is slightly south in the same area, alongside the river.

Businesses donate vast amounts of food

There was no shortage of nourishment for the volunteers working on Friday.

'This is one thing we can do from our company perspective, to help in this regard.'—Judy Seel, Sysco marketing director

Businesses in Manitoba have been donating food, time and drivers. More than 600 pounds of food, including hot dogs, fresh fruit, cheese, nutrition bars, soft drinks and juices, have been provided by vendors and delivered to the St. Andrews Fire Hall on Friday.

Judy Seel, marketing director with Sysco, a food distribution company in Winnipeg, said it's all part of being a good corporate citizen and supporting the community during a difficult time.

"They are under enough stress out there. This is one thing we can do from our company perspective, to help in this regard," she said. "I know some of the associates will be out sandbagging as well, but this is something from the company.

"It just kind of helps lessen the stress load for everybody."

Seel is still receiving emails from other companies also wanting to help, and may take another truckload of food on Saturday.