Land quickly turned into sea when an ice jam in Riverton, north of Winnipeg, forced the evacuation of many homes on Thursday. (Photo courtesy Derek Bjarnason)

The battle against the rising waters continues south of the city where people are finding creative ways to help out as much as possible with sandbagging efforts.

A voluntary evacuation notice has also been issued by the rural municipality of Ritchot, just south of Winnipeg. The notice affects up to 1,000 people in the area, including 40 residents of a personal care home in St. Adolphe.

Those staying behind are doing whatever they can to build up their protection from the water.

A crew of students from St. Norbert Collegiate were transporting sandbags on Thursday with a canoe and rowboat across a channel of water just south of St. Adolphe, one of Ritchot's most vulnerable communities.

The students were trying to protect the home of one of their friends but told CBC News that they've been helping anywhere they've been asked to during the past two weeks.

St. Adolphe arena a hub of activity

The sandbag machine is located at an arena in St. Adolphe, which was a beehive of activity on Thursday. About 40 students from St. Norbert Collegiate were on hand, along with members of a Hutterite colony from Neepawa and a crew from Winnipeg's Siloam Mission, which provides shelter to the city's homeless.

"The men I spoke to say they've been helped so much, they want to give something back," said CBC reporter Karen Pauls.

The town of St. Adolphe, 14 kilometres south of Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway, is surrounded by a protective ring dike but there are many people who live outside of the protected zone. The sandbags being assembled and delivered on Thursday were for them.

The evacuation notice in the region is not mandatory, but Ritchot Mayor Bob Stefaniuk said people need to give leaving serious thought, particularly if they are elderly or have some kind of medical condition.

The water is nudging against Highway 200 and washing across the road in a few places. It is likely the highway could be closed by the weekend.

Anyone who needs help leaving their home can call the emergency operations centre at 883-2633. A Red Cross emergency reception centre has been set up at Century Arena on Clarence Avenue in Winnipeg for evacuees. People are asked to register at the centre once they arrive in the city.

Flood measures being taken near Melita

The provincial government is also taking steps to control overland flooding on Highway 3 near Melita, about 340 kilometres west of St. Adolphe. Super sandbags are being used to protect the road from the rising Souris River.

Neil Gobelle, a spokesperson for Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation, said the super bags are about a metre high and just less than metre wide. Unlike sandbags being used in most places in the province, the super bags need to be lifted and placed by a forklift.

Gobelle said the bags will be put along a 300-metre stretch of the highway, eastbound to the Souris River bridge.

"That is where the Souris River will back up, 300 metres east of town," he said. "It will fill in areas there, and that's where it will cause the greatest possibility of coming over our road."

The same bags were used effectively in the area in 1999, said Gobelle.

If there is a need, crews will also dike other highways in the same area, he added.