Volunteers rally as eastern Saskatchewan flooding devastates town

What began as days of relentless rain have quickly turned into one of the most significant flooding events many people in eastern Saskatchewan can remember.

Floodwater surrounded homes, businesses and roads in the village of Norquay after a slow-moving storm stalled over the region, dropping extraordinary amounts of rain over nearly 48 hours.

While communities across the Yorkton region and toward the Manitoba border were affected, Norquay was among the hardest hit, with flooded basements, washed-out roads and a downtown temporarily cut off by rising water.

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Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist, Brad Vrolijk, said the system lingered over eastern Saskatchewan, producing rainfall totals well beyond what is typically seen on the Prairies.

“We had a very slow-moving low-pressure system in the area that was fueled by very hot and humid air from the United States and southeast Manitoba that essentially wrapped around this system and just dumped rain over the region for a prolonged period of time,” Vrolijk said.

The highest official rainfall total recorded in Saskatchewan came from a provincial fire weather station near the Manitoba border, where 174 millimetres of rain fell over two days.

“That’s an extremely high amount for the Canadian Prairies,” Vrolijk commented.

“Usually on a heavier rainfall event, it’s not uncommon to get 50 to 100 millimetres, but once you start getting over 100 millimetres of rain, that’s pretty unusual.”

While he said he did not have climate records immediately available to determine whether the rainfall was historic, Vrolijk described it as “an anomalous rainfall event.”

The sheer amount of water overwhelmed Norquay’s drainage system.

Jennifer Lindgren said rain began falling Sunday before intensifying over the following days. Combined with heavy rainfall from the previous two weeks, the community’s lift station could no longer keep up.

“Our pump station, lift station just couldn’t keep up, so basements — it was coming up out of their drains faster than they could pump it out,” Lindgren described.

Floodwater surrounds homes, businesses and roads in Norquay, Sask., after nearly two days of torrential rain overwhelmed the eastern Saskatchewan community. Volunteers spent Canada Day pumping basements, clearing debris and helping neighbours begin the cleanup. (Rod ABrahamson/Submitted)

“We’ve had up to waist-deep water in some basements and six inches in others.”

The flooding also forced the closure of the village’s Main Street.

“If people drove through the street, the water was running into their businesses through the front doors,” said volunteer, Regan Foster.

Although aerial photos shared online captured much of the flooding, Lindgren said they failed to show just how difficult conditions were on the ground.

“We were looking at the aerial pictures yesterday, and we said it doesn’t even really do it complete justice when you’re not walking through knee-high water to get to someone’s home to get them out.”

As floodwaters rose, volunteers from Norquay and surrounding communities quickly organized a response. Crews spent hours pumping water from homes, removing damaged belongings and checking on neighbours.

People wade through floodwater near a church in Norquay, Sask., as volunteers check homes and help residents during the community’s flood response. (Jennifer Lindgren/Submitted)

“We’ve been in basements, pumping out water, taking out all their belongings,” Foster said.

Lindgren estimated more than 50 volunteers showed up, with others arriving from neighbouring communities bringing pumps, equipment and food.

“It’s just incredible to see how many people show up every day,” she said.

Despite the devastation, Lindgren said the outpouring of support has been one of the few bright spots.

“It actually warms my heart to see how many people have come together,” she said. “It’s just heartwarming to see all the people that have gathered together to work together for our community.”

By Wednesday afternoon, the community began to see progress.

“The lift station is actually pumping water out now,” Foster said. “The water has subsided on its own in some of the basements, but there’s a lot of carnage that has been left behind.”

People wade through floodwater near a church in Norquay, Sask., as volunteers check homes and help residents during the community’s flood response. (Jennifer Lindgren/Submitted)

Lindgren said longtime residents told her they had never witnessed flooding on this scale.

“When we talked to some of the people that have been here all their lives … they said they’ve never seen anything like this.”

With only a few lingering showers remaining in the current forecast, Vrolijk said eastern Saskatchewan should finally get a break from the rain over the next several days, giving flood-stricken communities a chance to focus on cleanup instead of rising water.

“We’re not expecting anything like what we saw with this system,” he said.

Lindgren hopes the same spirit that carried Noquway through the emergency will continue throughout the recovery.

“I think we just want to give a big shout out to Norquay and its community members, and everybody that showed up to help,” she said.

“I don’t know if every community is lucky enough to have these amazing volunteers that show up for people, even people they don’t even know.”