Westfield Road in South Bay, Saint John was under water Friday morning. (Submitted by Cheri Cromwell)

Water levels in Saint John surged to roughly half a metre over the flood level Friday as officials in the city closed streets and issued warnings in the rush to prepare for a soggy weekend.

Heavy rainfall earlier this week in parts of northern New Brunswick, Maine and southern Quebec have caused the St. John River, already swollen from melting snow, to overflow. The water level in Quispamsis-Saint John reached 4.76 metres above sea level on Friday. The flood waters are expected to swell to 5.1 metres on Saturday and crest to 5.2 metres Sunday.

Andy Morton, deputy director of the province's Emergency Measures Organization, said with the floodwaters receding in Fredericton after cresting Thursday night, focus is starting to shift to the south.

"Down through Grand Bay-Westfield, the Quispamsis area, the Kennebecasis bay and the city of Saint John, we are also expecting to see water levels rise in those areas," he said.

The road to Darlings Island has been closed, forcing residents to rely on boats. (Submitted by Tom Burns)

People living near the water should be prepared for flooding this weekend, warned Rob Simmonds, the Saint John's fire chief and Emergency Measures Organization head.

"We've assembled our emergency operations centre management team, which is comprised of all of the agencies in the Saint John EMO," including energy and social service agencies.

"We're looking at some of the affected areas, or potential affected areas. We're looking at the population density in those areas. We need to identify what we need to do if we had to either evacuate the area" or provide shelter, he said.

Fire chief warns residents to avoid rising water

Simmonds said he is worried about residents getting too close to the rising waters.

"I'm concerned for our young children and our seniors who perhaps might be drawn [to the flood waters] because there's a certain attraction," he said. "It's quite a spectacle really, and we always want to make sure we keep them out of harm's way.

The water was also rising near Millidgeville, Saint John. (Submitted by Charlie McKendy)

"Be careful around the waterways. Be mindful of what's going on around your property," he said.

Police also warned area residents not to go pleasure boating on the cold, fast-moving river, saying it would be a needless distraction for authorities who are already very busy.

On Friday, municipal workers and crews from the Saint John fire department were patrolling the city and checking affected areas in order to ensure the safety of residents.

Saint John Water said a wastewater pumping station in Millidgeville had been temporarily shut down in order to avoid damage. As a result, some area residents may notice that toilets may not completely flush.

In Grand Bay-Westfield, a provincial electric inspector ordered power to be cut off to a dozen homes as water covered the streets and lapped close to the houses.

Resident Ken McCurdy told CBC News that his family will rely on a generator to maintain power in their home.

"I'm running cords as we speak to all the fridges in the house and the freezer. So I'm going to be OK there," he said.

But with drinking water and sewage cut off, McCurdy said his family plans to wait out the flood in a motorhome on a nearby dry land.

Roads closed

The rising waters are also forcing officials to close roads, including one westbound lane of the Trans-Canada Highway (Route 2) toward Fredericton at Jemseg Meadows overnight. Exit 333 is closed at Sheffield.

At a Friday afternoon briefing, the RCMP said that if the flood waters rise too much, they will close the highway and reroute traffic through Saint John, via Route 7.

"We are vigilant. We are checking that stretch of roadway at all times to make sure water does not reach the road," said RCMP Const. Derek Strong. "Should water breach the roadway, we will be closing that section and rerouting traffic through the city of Saint John."

He stressed that at the time, the closure of the highway was only a "possibility."

Officials said law enforcement personnel will staff all roadblocks around the clock in the coming days.

The provincial Department of Transportation has closed the road to and from Darlings Island, about 30 kilometres northeast of Saint John.

During the afternoon, Greg Steeves's Boston Whaler was one of two boats in service to shuttle the island's 200 residents across the water during the daylight hours.

"Luckily, in the main rush this morning, we got everyone over in the pickup trucks," Steeves said. "Tonight, we'll have to take them back by boat."

A school bus will be in service to transport residents to and from the boats 7-9 a.m. and 4-7 p.m.

Brian Lamb, a co-ordinator for emergency operations in the area, said residents who leave their homes because of the flood waters should contact the Red Cross, which has opened up a registration line for evacuees.

Other roads in the Saint John area affected by flood waters include:

• Dominion Park Road — closed to through traffic at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.
• Lawrence Long Road — impassable by car at the lower end; may be crossed by truck only.
• Farry Cove Road is covered by water.
• Bay Street near Westfield Road and Gault Road is closed.
• Beach Road — impassable; water is up over the road above the beach.
• Millidge Avenue — dead end by Royal Kennebeccasis Yacht Club is covered by water..
• Elms Road Karrs is fully closed from Route 705 to Route 124.
• Station Loop Road is fully closed near Hammond River.
• Beaulah Camp Road is fully closed.
• West Tennants Cove Road is fully closed.
• Brown's Cove Road is fully closed.
• Lower Norton Shore Road is fully closed.
• Milkish Creek Road is fully closed.
• Erbs Cove is fully closed.

Kennebecasis Drive between Tucker Park and Beach Crescent is being closely monitored.

The Department of Transportation urges extreme caution when travelling the following routes, as parts may be under water:

• Carter Wharf Road.
• Woodsmans Point Road.
• Hatfields Point.
• Sunset Valley Road Nerepis.
• Brittian Road Nerepis.

Officials advised that residents in the Dominion Park area should monitor conditions and make suitable preparations in case the bridge there becomes impassable.