Northwest Sask. communities dry up after flooding brought unique street kayaking
If you were in the Village of Makwa in the rural municipality of Loon Lake, Sask., on Tuesday, you might have spotted a young man casually kayaking through the streets under sunny skies.
That's how deep the water was in parts of northwest Saskatchewan after Tuesday's warm weather brought flooding with it.
The paddler, 18-year-old Luke Bauer, spent about an hour navigating the streets of Makwa, 42 kilometres southwest of Meadow Lake, and a neighbouring forested area. On Thursday he told CBC people laughed and took videos while he made his journey.
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"I decided it'd be a good idea to take out the old kayak, take it out of retirement and go down the current," said Bauer.
"I started like almost at the fields way at the end. I was in the ditch going all the way down to the bar and I went across the highway and everything."
As of Thursday, much of the water has dried up in the RM of Loon Lake, as well as the RM of Meadow Lake. Temperatures hit 23 C in the northwest on Tuesday, causing melting snow from the forests to flow into both RMs.
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"I never experienced something like it, that's for sure," Bauer said. "I just thought it would be a cool thing to do to bring up the kayak because the water was moving pretty, pretty fast."
Bauer said his mother watched the whole thing from beginning to end.
"She was also happy, she was dying laughing actually, because I literally pulled out the kayak out of the shed and just went."
Conditions solid: SPSA
At a news conference Thursday afternoon, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) said the situation in the RM of Meadow Lake is under control and roads are on the mend. The RM declared a state of emergency Tuesday, and the SPSA and Water Security Agency headed there to help mitigate the water and begin cleanup and maintenance.
Meanwhile in the RM of Loon Lake, Reeve Greg Cardinal said they decided to handle the flooding "in house," opting to not ask for the SPSA's help.
“So we've been driving the roads, our foremen have been looking after things good with our workers and the damage isn't very bad," said Cardinal.
“We've just got mostly right now a little water running over some of the roads. So there's some washouts and stuff. Mostly everything's passable," Cardinal said.
The reeve said the gravel roads are soft, but the RM will use equipment to fix them, mostly on Monday. That task will involve filling holes with gravel so graders can make the roads up to par again.
Rising water levels and blocked drainage in the RM of Meadow Lake were immediately tackled once the state of emergency was declared. Chief administrator Tracy Mysko said the RM and SPSA put their heads together.
"We created a plan of action, and yesterday a lot got accomplished," Mysko told CBC Thursday.
"The water is continuing to drop now because we have freezing temperatures instead today and some snow, so they constructed berms along different roads and those are holding effectively and we're doing ongoing monitoring and maintenance to keep the situation stable and under control."
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency aided the RM of Meadow Lake after it declared a state of emergency due to flooding Tuesday. (Alexander Quon/CBC News)
While Makwa experienced some flooding damage to homes, Mysko said the RM of Meadow Lake did not. She said they feel prepared if flooding happens again.
“The community really pulled together in this as well. So there was a lot of manpower where needed and when needed.”
Water Security Agency president Shawn Jaques said that while cooler temperatures are helping significantly, there is still snow buildup in the forested areas north of Meadow Lake.
"So that’s something we’re watching. As long as the weather stays cool, that will help in making sure that water flows off the landscape,” said Jaques.
Dale Rockel, director of investigations and emergency response for the SPSA, said crews are using steamer units on culverts that are jammed with ice to allow water to flow again in the RM of Meadow Lake.
As of Thursday, no kayaks had been spotted on any roads.
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This article, written by Laura Sciarpelletti, was originally published for CBC News.