Floodwaters continue to wreak havoc on the lives of people living south of Winnipeg, even though the world has moved on to other news.

Much of the region remains covered by a nearly 2,000-square-kilometre lake. Homes are still islands and communities are protected by ring dikes, closed off from all transportation but boats.

'The water's sitting there and the roads are out. You see all the trash from fields, wood floating in, and dead animals. It's real depressing.'—Tony Lasko, St. Adolphe resident

Hundreds of people are still out of their homes, unable to return until the water recedes. That is happening, but slowly, by inches each day.

For those who outlast the deluge by remaining in their homes, the monotony of life on the water is becoming tiresome, frustrating, and lonely.

"The water's sitting there and the roads are out. You see all the trash from fields, wood floating in, and dead animals. It's real depressing," said Tony Lasko, who lives near St. Adolphe, which is about 12 kilometres south of the Winnipeg city limits.

Bob Stefaniuk, the mayor of the rural municipality of Ritchot, said it will likely be a week or two before life returns to anywhere near normal. About 40 per cent — about 135 square kilometres — of Ritchot's land mass is currently under water.

"The detours and all that are starting to get on everybody's nerves," said Stefaniuk. "Daily life has become much more complicated for everybody."

'Daily life has become much more complicated for everybody.'—Bob Stefaniuk, mayor RM of Ritchot

Children haven't been able to go to school and families are living apart. People who live in communities where some roads have not been completely washed out are forced to drive twice the distance to get to where they need to go.

"Right now we're just waiting it out and it's kind of lonely," said Lasko, whose community is in the rural municipality of Ritchot.

Lasko said any kind of trip requires careful planning — and lots of rowing. A few days ago he made such a voyage, just to get away.

"I had to get out on the weekend because I couldn't take it any more," he said.