Last week’s flooding in the Parkland resulted in numerous washouts to roads and bridges within the region.
The bridge over the Wilson River on Hwy. 5 between Dauphin and Gilbert Plains was damaged in the flooding, but was quickly repaired thanks to Reit-Syd Equipment Ltd. of Dauphin and Stirling Aggregates.
Manitoba Infrastructure was quick to turn to Reit-Syd to get the repairs done, providing direction on how it may be done.
The east side of the highway connecting the bridge dropped because the floodwater compromised the bank. Crews from Reit-Syd and Stirling were able to re-open the highway by reshaping the bank and building the road back up.
Reit-Syd general manager Don Tarrant said they were called to Ste. Rose, June 30, at about 7 p.m.
“So we moved a couple of gravel trucks down there, because we were going to close that ring dike around the community,” he said.
“Then we got a second call about the bridge getting washed out on the east end. So we moved down there about 10 o’clock on June 30.”
That night, rock from Grandview was hauled in, because the end was washing out, undermining the end of the bridge.
“They got rock at 11 o’clock at night and they placed rock until 9:30 in the morning. So they got that filled full of rock as best they could and it pushed the water under the bridge where it would normally go,” Tarrant said.
Other equipment was moved in and work began again Thursday morning and continued until about 11 p.m.
“And what they did was, they jackhammered off the end of the bridge apron and below that was where it was eroded. And then they filled that void below, just pound it full of rock and just jackhammered and pounded that rock in there for a really good base,” Tarrant explained.
“And then they put geo cloth in on top of the rock and then put on top of that finished gravel up to road level. And then, of course, after that they had to remove all the trailhead they had excavated out, concrete and asphalt. So by 11:30 last night, that bridge was opened up.”
Two staff members initially began working on the project, June 30. Five staff worked on the site, Thursday.
The cost to repair the bridge has yet to be determined.
“Honestly, I think they just marked down their hours when they started and when they finish. Then Manitoba Infrastructure will audit those hours and then pay us accordingly,” Tarrant said.

The water came quickly, receded almost as fast, and left in its wake a path of destruction, which included a long list of provincial infrastructure, municipal assets and private property.
Across the Parkland people woke up on Canada Day to swollen rivers and creeks, overland flooding and flooded basements, courtesy of a storm cell, which dropped from 120 millimetres to more than 150 millimetres of rain across the region.
Dauphin city manager Sharla Griffiths said leading up to Canada Day, municipal officials began monitoring the situation Sunday night and into Monday before problems started arising Tuesday morning.
“Tuesday morning, I started getting calls from our utility guys saying, ‘Hey, things are all functioning, but we just can’t keep up, the lift station pumps can’t keep up, and there’s water in the streets.’ So we started monitoring,” Griffiths said, adding throughout the day, Tuesday, there was water at some intersections, but things were still manageable.
It was not until the early morning hours of Wednesday that the seriousness of the situation became evident, when the Vermillion River spilled over its banks between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.
“I saw the first email come through with some photos at 2 a.m. and it said things are happening in Dauphin,” Griffiths said, adding throughout the timeline officials were holding discussions about the situation and developing a plan of action.
All in all, Griffiths is pleased with the efforts of municipal staff in the face of unprecedented challenges presented by the flood.
“We had people boots on the ground checking things out, doing what we could and when the sun came up on the morning of the first we were inundated with water,” she said.
“Our staff, everybody rolled up their sleeves, pitched in, and did what they needed to do. Mayor and council have been super supportive and there right beside us.
“So the organization functioned as it should in this type of situation.”
Among the damage caused by that water was extensive flooding in the basement of Dauphin Regional Health Centre, which knocked out power and forced an evacuation of the facility, which saw 54 patients transferred to other hospitals across the province
In a virtual press conference Thursday, Prairie Mountain Health CEO Treena Slate said every effort to provide some level of care locally is being made, while the extent of the damage to the facility is determined and repairs are made.
“We are providing a triage clinic based out of Dauphin and we do have the mobile clinic set up. We’ve also set up a more, sort of, permanent structure within the Dauphin Regional Health Center community health services building, which is adjacent to the hospital, where patients can be quickly assessed if they’re not sure if their concern is emergent. They would be transported to the nearest appropriate emergency department from there, or treated for minor injuries and illnesses there,” Slate said, adding employees throughout the system have stepped up to ensure some continuity of care.
“The physicians from the Dauphin clinic are providing that service and they are also providing support to the Ste. Rose Emergency Department, as well.”
While people are already asking when the hospital will reopen, Slate said it is far to early to tell. The priority is to pump water from the basement, restore power and HVAC and then assess the damage.
“We are in conversations with our incident command structure provincially, already thinking about reopening. That’s definitely front of mind. We need to start planning accordingly,” Slate said, adding operations at both Dauphin personal care homes were uninterrupted by the flooding.
“Given the significance of the flooding and the challenges of pumping out the water, and in view of the ongoing flooding situation, it’s challenging to give a timeline at this time.
“We are having our insurer engage with a restoration company to assess the damage and we’ll have a better idea in the coming days of the timeline on that.”
As damages at the DRHC and across the region become more apparent, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, who was in town Thursday to assess the situation, wants life in the Parkland to get back to normal as quickly as possible.
To that end Kinew announced a $5 million cash advance program through disaster financial assistance to expedite repairs.
“The idea behind this $5 million is we know on the provincial side there’s a ton of roads and bridges that are going to need to be repaired. So the need at the municipal side is going to be there, as well,” Kinew said.
“We don’t want any resource or financial question to get in the way of getting people back to normal. So that’s why we want to work together collaboratively.”
In the city, while there is extensive damage to personal property, municipal assets seem to have weathered the storm quite well, mayor David Bosiak said.
“Our northeast end of town was most severely impacted, because it’s the lowest end of our community. So we still have some basement flooding in some areas and sewer backups (Thursday). But our reports this morning were that most of them have been cleaned out. It’s just a matter now of remediating and cleaning some seepage in a few areas of the community,” Bosiak said.
“Right now we basically believe that we have everything under our own control. We’ve asked for a very modest amount from the province as cash coverage, before we get into the disaster financial assistance stage of things, but I think we’re okay,”
It is a different story in the Rural Municipality of Dauphin. With more then 500 miles of roads, it will take some time to get a handle on the situation, reeve Ernie Sirski said.
Initial reports are that there are more than 200 wash outs, but Sirski expects that number to increase significantly.
“We don’t know the extent of damages yet. I mean, we’ve got people that are landlocked, people that cannot get out of their houses right now. So we have to make sure that, first of all, they’re safe. We’re doing whatever we can to make sure that people can get access, make sure that they’re safe,” Sirski said.
“We've been told that we can access $500,000 from the province as of today to help with fixing up our roads and we thank the province for their contribution.”
As repairs begin, Kinew added consideration will be given to the effects of climate change, which has increased the number and frequency of severe storms.
“Part of what we’re telling our municipal partners, we’re telling all Manitobans is that as we go into the disaster financial assistance stage, we want to build resilient infrastructure. So, it’s not just about building back the same thing that we had before. Now that we’ve seen what can happen with a changing climate, we need to build infrastructure that’s going to meet that need,” he said.
“We have got to be resilient as people. We also have to make sure that our infrastructure is resilient, too, and as we roll out this DFA program, we want the municipal partners to know that it’s not just about restoring what was there. It’s about building roads and culverts and other pieces of infrastructure, so that we can handle an event like this in the future. God forbid, but we’ve got to prepare.”
As the cleanup continues, people are encouraged to check municipal websites and social media for information about available resources,
When it comes to health care, updates can be found on the PMH website at prairiemountainhealth.ca, or across their social media platforms.
“We strongly encourage people to call 911 as they normally should in the event of any situation or if they’re not sure about their medical circumstance,” Slate said.
“We have physicians and nurses who can do a primary assessment and we would rely on our EMS partners to transfer patients to the nearest and most appropriate emergency department. based on the patient’s care needs.”
For non-urgent matters, Dauphin and area residents are encouraged to call Health Links toll-free at 1-888-315-9257.

The Swan Valley dealt with another historic flood last week – a flood that brought the Manitoba premier back for another visit, prompting a call for military support from the federal government, and an evacuation of multiple neighbourhoods in Swan River. Nearly all but one road into Saskatchewan down PR No. 275 to Preeceville was the only road access to the outside world that the Swan Valley had at one point, with all major highways suffering major collapses, including between Norquay and Pelly, south of Benito, near Mafeking, and at Pine River. Here is but a fraction of the devastation caused by the weather event.(TOP LEFT) A van sits helpless in its drowned parking spot at the edge of Legion Park.... 

Mother Nature unleashed wrath yet again on the Valley last week. After several inches of rain fell for the second time in three weeks, Valley residents were forced to head for higher ground...

On June 17, at approximately 3:30 a.m., RCMP responded to a report of an assault occurring at a residence on Augusta Street East, in Russell.
Officers learned that a 20-year-old female had attended a party at a nearby home when she was repeatedly punched and kicked by another female. Paramedics subsequently treated the female for her injuries.
RCMP went to the home where the party was still in progress and were greeted by a 29-year-old male who was known to police. After initially trying to shake an officer’s hand, the suspect punched the officer in the side of the head. The officer took the suspect to the ground and arrested him.
Officers then located the female suspect in the initial assault and took her into custody.
Maverick Oudie, 29, of Dauphin is charged with:
• Assaulting a police officer; and
• Resisting a peace officer.
Tanis Cooke, 25, of Waywayseecappo First Nation is charged with assault.
Both were released, with a future court appearance scheduled.

Read the whole RCMP Report in this week's Russell Banner on page 3.

Brian and Bernadine Brown are quite literally lucky to be alive. At about 7:30 pm on Sunday June 28th, Brian Brown headed into the century home he and he wife had been restoring for the last decade, after purchasing it in 2004.
Brian Brown told The Brandon Sun said he just come in from the shop in furious rain and hail when he noticed a tree falling and yelled at this wife to stay away from the windows and hit the floor. The tornado itself lasted about 10 seconds the 76 year old couple told The Sun. The damage done to their circa 1904 home was extensive, leaving debris throughout the home and pictures simply disappearing off the walls.
Shirley Kalyniak, the mayor of Rossburn described the Brown’s farmyard as ‘war zone’ adding that forest of trees that were more than a 100 years old had been snapped liked twigs with the Browns belongings strewn all over the yard Their neighbors home, about 300 yards away had their detached garage and shed destroyed along with damage to the roof of their home.

With files from CBC and The Brandon Sun

To get the whole story, pick-up this week's Russell Banner and turn to page 2.

Thunderstorms brought close to 140 mms of rain to the area June 28, 29 and 30 leaving flooded basements, sewer back-ups and washed-out roads in its wake. Coupled with an already high water table and super-saturated soil pretty much everywhere made things much worse than the recent flooding of the Boggy and the Shell River.
Overland flooding caused a massive landslide near Deepdale which took out the CN’s trestle bridge.
Check out the photos in this week’s paper.

Due to rapidly rising water levels along rivers and deteriorating conditions throughout the municipality, residents are strongly advised not to travel on any municipal roads unless absolutely necessary. Conditions are changing quickly, and many roads may be unsafe or impassable. Please be aware that not all road closures and hazards have been barricaded, as some affected locations cannot be safely accessed by crews at this time.
Traveling on municipal roads may place you at significant risk. Water can conceal washouts, road damage, and other dangerous conditions. Residents are urged to remain in a safe location and avoid unnecessary movement until conditions improve.
Public Works crews continue to monitor the situation around the clock and are responding to emergencies and reports as they are received. However, ongoing flooding and inaccessible areas may delay response times.
If you choose to voluntarily evacuate for your safety, please contact the Municipality at 204-638-4531 to register your evacuation location and contact information. In an emergency, call 911 immediately. For municipal emergency concerns related to flooding or infrastructure, contact the RM of Dauphin Emergency Line at 204-701-8523.
Residents are strongly encouraged to monitor local radio stations, media outlets, the RM website, and the RM of Dauphin Facebook page for updates. Conditions remain serious and may worsen with little notice.

Due to the significant rainfall, the City of Dauphin's wastewater system has reached capacity.
Although all lift stations and pumps are operating as designed, they cannot keep up with the volume of water entering the system.
Residents are being asked to reduce water use until further notice immediately. Your co-operation is critical to reducing strain on the wastewater system and minimizing the risk of sewer backups.
Please help by:
* Postponing laundry and other water-intensive activities
* Delaying the use of dishwashers
* Limiting unnecessary use of showers, sinks, and toilets
* Ensuring sump pumps discharge directly outdoors and are not connected to the sanitary sewer system
The situation is being closely monitored as this weather event continues.

On June 30, att 9:40 a.m., the Rural Municipality of Dauphin declared a State of Local Emergency due to significant and unprecedented rainfall causing overland flooding.
Public Works crews are actively monitoring the situation and responding to calls as they are received.
We caution our residents not to cross flooded roads and be prepared to evacuate if necessary. Please limit travel to only necessary situations.
In case of emergency, please call 911. If it is a municipal emergency, please call the RM of Dauphin Emergency Line at 204-701-8523.
For further information contact:
Reeve Ernie Sirski 204-638-1833
CAO Grady Stephenson 204-638-4531