93 homes under evacuation order in southeastern Manitoba due to flooding
A total of 93 homes in southeastern Manitoba are now under a precautionary evacuation order due to overland flooding and the swollen Rat River.
The Rural Municipality of Stuartburn has issued evacuation notices to 70 homes in the Arbakka area, southeast of Vita. Overland flooding has taken out most of the road access to those homes, Lucie Maynard, the chief administrative officer for the municipality, said Wednesday.
RELATED: Flooding forces some southeastern Manitoba residents from their homes
Stuartburn used earth-moving equipment to keep water off Sundown Road South to allow Arbakka residents to get in and out of the area, which sits between Provincial Road 201 and the Minnesota border. Municipal and provincial workers also installed a new culvert across Arbakka Road to allow floodwaters to move more quickly toward the Roseau River.
The evacuation order is not mandatory — and many residents aren't going anywhere.
"Pretty hard to move me out of here. You'd need a 12-horse Budweiser team to move me out of here," said Arbakka rancher Ken Gurman, whose family raises 150 head of cattle as well as hogs, chickens, sheep and donkeys five kilometres north of the Minnesota border.
"We have animals to feed here. I can't let them starve here. I look after the animals every day. The whole family does."
Water from Caliento Bog is flowing overland toward the Roseau River. (Lyza Sale/CBC)
Stuartburn Reeve David Kiansky said the municipality had to issue the order to protect itself from litigation if emergency services can not reach people isolated by floodwaters.
"If you are stuck behind lines and you need help, you're on your own because we told you to leave," he said Wednesday. "If you had that warning to leave, then that's on you."
Sixteen homes in the Zhoda area also received evacuation orders because the Rat River continued to rise, Maynard said, along with one in the Gardenton area and six at Lonesand.
Flooding in the town of Vita has also led to the deployment of an aqua dam around Shady Oaks Lodge, a seniors' residence.
The flooding follows four days of heavy rain that dropped 90 to 150 millimetres on southeastern Manitoba.
Maynard said grain farms across Stuartburn are flooded, as are cattle ranches and hog barns. No livestock has been moved yet to her knowledge, she said.
At Arbakka, Randy Smith and his family scrambled to keep their cattle safe.
The engorged Rat River overflowed its banks and surrounded this farmhouse in Lonesand, Man., on Tuesday. (Lyzaville Sale/CBC)
"It was cold. The water was really, really fast," said 10-year-old Austin Smith.
"I was about to fall in, but I used as much leg power as I could to keep myself from falling in. I saved tons of calves' lives, helping them get out the mud and water."
Ken Gurman said the floodwaters pose more of a financial threat, as he said he won't be able to seed his hayfield any time soon.
The Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization and provincial emergency social services are providing Stuartburn with evacuation advice, a spokesperson for the province said in a statement.
Manitoba Infrastructure is assessing damage to roads, the spokesperson said.
Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler and MLA Dennis Smook toured the area Wednesday.
Thumbnail courtesy of Lyza Sale/CBC.
The story was written by Bartley Kives, with files from Amelie David, originally published for CBC News.