Emergency officials in the southern part of New Brunswick are preparing for the flood water that will be moving down the St. John River.

Roads in Saint John were beginning to fill with water by Thursday afternoon. Reports of flooding were coming in from the west side and north end of the port city.

In the west side of Saint John, Terry Ferguson was placing sandbags around his home on Thursday.

Ferguson said he wants to have 750 bags protecting his home by the time the water reaches his property.

Many strangers have stopped and helped him fill and lay the bags around his house, Ferguson said.

"I'm higher on the bank and hopefully outside the risk of the water so I brought myself down with my shovel and offered a few hours of time to see if I could help out where I could," said Chris Gorgan, who was helping people sandbag on Thursday.

One of the biggest areas of concern in the district is Darlings Island, said Brian Lamb, co-ordinator for emergency measures operations in the Saint John and Hampton area.

The small island community near Hampton only has one road in and the provincial Department of Transportation is urging extreme caution for anyone using the road. A boat will be made available once the road is engulfed, officials said.

The Gagetown area is expected to see the worst flooding in the district, Lamb said.

The St. John River is expected to reach 4.9 metres by Saturday in Quispamsis and Saint John. The flood level in the area is 4.2 metres.

It is still expected that it will take several days for the flood waters to reach the communities in southern New Brunswick, said Andy Morton, deputy director of the province's Emergency Measures Organization.

As the waters approach the mouth of the St. John River, they will be competing against the high tides of the Bay of Fundy, Morton said. It could result in the flood waters remaining high in the province for several days, he said.

Homes being taken over by water

Nauwigewauk resident Fred Lynch's backyard has become what he is calling a riverfront property.

Lynch has been watching the water move closer to his home for a week.

"I've lived around the water all my life really and the one thing I know is that you can't control it," Lynch said.

Drivers should be extremely careful as the water continues to rise in the area, said Hampton RCMP Const. John Appleby.

"The vehicle could go off the road or be stuck in the waterway and then people in the vehicle would be in a state of emergency," Appleby said.

Taya Wallace and her grandmother, Myrtle Foster, have collected enough supplies to be self-sufficient for some time, and also have tied a boat to the front of their house on Darling Island.

"Everyone's kind of worried," Wallace said.

Warning issued for Saint John harbour

The coast guard has issued a warning to small craft operators to be on the lookout for debris floating in the Saint John harbour.

Tree trunks, stumps, lawn furniture and other items caught up by the fast-flowing water are travelling downriver.

The debris could be a hazard for shipping, said Bill Eaton, spokesman for the Port of Saint John.

Harbour pilots have been restricted to working only during daylight hours because it has become too dangerous to navigate in the dark, Eaton said.

Crews are attempting to remove logs and stumps from the harbour, he said, and will continue to do so for at least two weeks.