It was exactly 10 years ago this month that the "flood of the century" happened here

[CDSmith]

10 years ago this month Southern Manitoba got hit with a massive Colorado low (big snowstorm), dumping 50-60 cm of snow on us. Once all that white stuff melted the flood hit.

A foot higher and the Red river would have washed over the dike which protects my area of the city and would have flooded my house.

South of Winnipeg there was a sea instead of a river. Whole towns were temporarily lost.

http://www.esemag.com/0797/flood.html

http://www.cnn.com/WEATHER/9704/29/c...ods/index.html

Reg Alcock, a member of parliament, was spearheading the Canadian evacuation effort. He described the situation as being like a 30-mile-wide lake descending on the city of Winnipeg.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_River_Flood,_1997

The province of Manitoba completed the Red River Floodway in 1968 after six years of excavation, put up permanent dikes in eight towns south of Winnipeg, and built clay dikes and diversion dams in the Winnipeg area. Other flood control structures completed later were the Portage Diversion and the Shellmouth Dam on the Assiniboine. However, even with these flood protection measures, in 1997 the province experienced a flood of 7.5 m (21.6 ft), which caused 28,000 people to be evacuated and $500 million CAD in damage to property and infrastructure. Called "The Flood of the Century", the 1997 flood had a probability of occurrence of about once in 100 years, and came close to overcoming Winnipeg's existing flood protection system.

Towns upriver in Manitoba, forewarned by footage of Grand Forks buildings burning and covered in metres of water, built ring dikes to protect their homes and properties, and the province of Manitoba called in the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the provincial Department of Natural Resources. Many also chose to evacuate, including residents from Morris who had only two days notice to evacuate to Winnipeg. Thousands of volunteers also helped to build sandbag dikes around homes and property. An emergency dike, later called the Brunkild Z-dike, 24 km (15 miles) long, was constructed in a matter of days when it was realized that overland flooding threatened the City of Winnipeg.

Almost all of the ring dikes around the towns held, save one-St. Agathe. The town's dike system was prepared for the river approaching from the south, but the river had spread and swamped the town from the west.

At the flood's peak in Canada on May 4, the Red River occupied an area of 1,840 km² (710 mi²) with more than 2,560 km² (990 mi²) of land underwater. Nicknamed the "Red Sea", this temporary lake forced about 75,000 people to abandon their homes. $450 million CAD in damage was caused.

The province of Manitoba asked the International Joint Commission (IJC) to provide a report on the flood event and to recommend measures to ensure further flood protection for the city of Winnipeg. Largely as a result of this study, the province now plans to expand the floodway.

Seems like only a few years ago.

[Helix]

Originally Posted by CDSmith

Seems like only a few years ago.

pssst - your age is showing