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Flooding in Saskatchewan has started to ease but the province is still monitoring some areas up north.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said that as of 11:30 a.m. on Friday, there are 21 active flooding incidents in the province with active declarations of local emergency in four communities.
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SPSA Minister, Michael Weger, said so far this year the agency has received 45 declarations of local emergency and more than 45 designations for disaster assistance through the provincial disaster assistance program.
Weger said the province’s emergency operations centre, which has been responding to flooding, has now been scaled back and crews are working on recovery throughout Saskatchewan.
The recovery phase includes assessing damage, cleaning and rebuilding structures, restoring essential services, repairing roads and bridges and providing support to affected residents.
“Over the past number of weeks, we have seen flood-related damages to homes, businesses, and farms in a number of RMs (rural municipalities) and communities, as well as damage to critical infrastructure like highways and other roadways,” Weger said, noting the extent of the damage is still being assessed.
CEO of the Water Security Agency, Shawn Jaques, said flows across rivers, including the North and South Saskatchewan, are starting to recede back to normal levels.
However, he said the Water Security Agency is keeping a close eye on the Churchill River and Lac La Ronge river systems as they continue to rise.
Devin Pacholik with the province’s Ministry of Highways said access to all northern communities like Patuanak and Pine House have been opened after being cut off due to failures and washouts.
Pacholik noted some areas may be down to single lane traffic or there are alternative routes in place.
“Flood conditions are dynamic and can change rapidly due to shifting water flows and weather patterns,” he said. “For that reason, we strongly urge all drivers to check the highway hotline before they leave.”
According to the Ministry of Highways, a contractor was secured to install a temporary structure on Highway 165 over Smoothstone River, following a bridge collapse earlier this month.
Pacholik said emergency installation of the temporary bridge began this earlier week and is expected to be completed by the end of the month, weather permitting.
