VIDEO: Flooding forcing evacuations on Red Earth, Shoal Lake Cree Nations

Fifteen communities were under states of emergency for flooding as of Monday morning in Saskatchewan.

That number could rise, though no injuries have been reported in the province related to the flooding.

Read more:

• VIDEO: Central Saskatchewan dealing with extreme flooding as snow melts
• VIDEO: Saskatchewan highway closures in place due to flooding and washouts
• Fuel spill in South Saskatchewan River no risk to human health: WSA

Speaking on The Evan Bray Show on Tuesday morning, Steve Roberts, the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency’s vice-president of operations, said localized flooding was expected in Saskatchewan this spring. He said watching snowpack and weather patterns, as well as getting information from the Water Security Agency helps give a forecast for the spring.

Listen to the full interview with Roberts:

“Then we basically are prepared as it plays out, as the temperature comes in and the rains – or in our case, we had added snow in the middle of the event that added to the issue,” Roberts said.

Preparations for flooding in many Saskatchewan communities began long before any public announcements, however. Roberts explained that communities across the province – including municipalities and First Nations – are required to have an emergency preparedness plan for their area. The plan needs to consider which roads could be cut off by flooding, what risks there are to each community and alternative access points.

“Where would people go if they were unable to get into their home?” Roberts said. “Where would they go in the community?

Roberts said “the first response is always local,” and a proactive approach is the best one.

“It’s ironic that this is Emergency Preparedness Week, and that’s the message. Make the plan. Know your risk ahead of time. Prepare for those things,” Roberts said.

He said in conditions like parts of the province are seeing, people could end up isolated for days. Having a solid plan will ensure the appropriate supplies and essentials are available for up to 72 hours during an emergency.

“That makes the handling of the emergency when it comes that much more streamlined, that much easier, that much more co-ordinated,” Roberts told Bray.

The public safety agency is the primary co-ordinator for events like localized flooding, according to Roberts. He said the province’s emergency operations centre is currently activated, meaning several government agencies are meeting on a daily basis to discuss concerns and areas in need of support.

Roberts said this involves monitoring conditions on highways. When issues arise, he said the Water Security Agency provides information and the public safety agency then offers assistance in response to requests for equipment and other support, which can be as extreme as evacuations.

“The entire team co-ordinates those efforts so it’s seamless for the residents,” Roberts explained. “We can get them the best assistance they need in a timely manner and get them supported.”

Evacuations, he said, are currently “fairly localized,” meaning single households with one or two families at a time. One rural municipality has seen two families evacuated, he said. On Tuesday morning, he said the only major evacuations in Saskatchewan are in the Red Earth and Shoal Lake Cree Nation areas. Roberts said those communities have announced some residents will be moved to Prince Albert and Saskatoon.

“We are aware of that happening, but we will continue to see reactions and additional supports required to either keep people in their communities during the flood event or support them if they have to leave,” Roberts said.

Roberts said information on flooding in the province is available on the public safety agency’s website and through the Water Security Agency. The Saskatchewan Highway Hotline is also regularly updated to show incidents and closures impacting roads.

Estimates for when flood waters are expected to peak are different in each river basin, Roberts explained. He said some are already at their peak levels, while others are receding.

But further north, he noted, there is still snow on the ground in some areas.

“We will not see their water flows occur until some time from now, and whether that results in a flooding event or just a high-flow event, so we won’t see everything yet,” he said.

Roberts said some flooding is sure to occur every spring, and much like the province’s wildfire situation, frequently depends on the weather.

“We will track those and try to inform residents as best we can of the hazard that could be occurring to them,” Roberts said.

Joelle Rudick, who has lived in Quill Lake since 1997, said this is the worst flooding she’s ever seen in the area. Her husband, who has lived in the region since the ’60s, agreed.

She said the village “got away quite lucky,” but the surrounding areas were hit much harder by the rising waters.

“The RM is not in good shape,” she said.

“I’m sure there has been some damage. There was a farm straight north of Clair that had water in the basement, and it’s a total write-off. They were actually Sea-dooing in the yard, it was so full.”

Rudick gave credit to local fire departments, rural municipalities and town employees who worked tirelessly to close the roads impacted by the flooding and clear routes for residents to use.

“Bless them all for finding us an alternate route to get out of town, because at one point you couldn’t go east, you couldn’t go west, you couldn’t go north and you couldn’t go south… we were like landlocked, almost,” she said.

“Our full-time town employee was sleeping in his town truck over the weekend in town here, with his daughter in one truck and him in the other truck. These guys don’t get paid enough. They really don’t.”

Rudick said the area got three snowstorms in three weeks in April, and the snow melted quickly in the warm temperatures in recent days. She said the snow is largely gone from the ground at this point, and cooler temperatures have slowed the rate of melting, so she’s hoping the worst of the flooding is over.

“I don’t think we can handle a round two,” she said.

–with files from 980 CJME’s Abby Zieverink