The issue was a combination of heavy snow and sudden high temperatures. The municipal crews went out and cleared any blocked culverts in the area, but it was not enough to prevent the problem. In one case, they cut Old #3 Highway, just south of Boissevain, to prevent flooding of that area, including Du-Rite Motors.
“Every year we get water from the Turtle Mountains, but this year it was the force it came with. It just came.”
By Thursday, water was moving to north of Boissevain, and this will mean closing a few roads in that area.
Swanson said council decided to put a state of emergency in place on Wednesday. Emergency Measures came out to look at the situation, and help with any assistance or funding they might need. It will also help the municipality convince the general public to take the matter seriously, as they would like people to stay off of the bad roads.
“We need to let the guys do their job,” Swanson said.
As of Thursday, some of the southern roads were opening up, with at least a couple closed or cut. The hope is they can patch Old #3 soon. The state of emergency will continue for a month, until May 12, to allow the municipality to react to any more problems.
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff