Prime Minister Stephen Harper toured flood-stricken areas in southern Manitoba on Tuesday, and said the federal government would help the province recover from damage left by the rising Red River.
"The federal government stands ready to assist in any way that is needed ... as the situation unfolds," Harper told reporters in Winnipeg. "Anything that's needed, the people of Canada will be there to help the people of Manitoba."
Ottawa will likely give financial support to help pay for disaster relief under its cost-shared program with provinces. But the prime minister did not give specific details.
Earlier, Harper flew by helicopter over Morris, which is south of Winnipeg, and walked along the dike that is currently protecting the town.
He also stopped by Highway 75, which runs from the U.S. border to Winnipeg. The highway is closed because it is submerged under two metres of water.
Manitoba Premier Gary Doer and Treasury Board President Vic Toews accompanied Harper on the tour.
Local officials who met with the prime minister said they advocated for better flood protection.
Morris Mayor Dale Hoffman is calling on both the federal and provincial governments to build a floodway, like the one that protects Winnipeg, to divert water from smaller towns as snow and ice melt each spring.
Hoffman said that the channel should start at the U.S. border and continue for about 200 kilometres through the Red River Valley.
"If we were to take the peaks off the flood flows and run (the river) down another channel from the border down to Lake Winnipeg, I think we could leave a pretty good legacy for our children," Hoffman said.
"From the federal government I'd like to see a long-term vision, a goal, some form of a plan that will help to mitigate the flooding, something that is going to keep the Red River Valley from flooding every second or third year."
Water levels expected to rise
Steve Ashton, Manitoba's Emergency Measures Minister, said officials are dealing with flooding on three fronts.
"We've had significant ice jams, we're dealing with the cresting of the Red River and we're also dealing with significant overland flooding," he told 麻豆影视net on Tuesday.
Since March 23, Ashton said roughly 200 homes, most north of Winnipeg, have had "impact from water."
"The difficulty we have right now is that the Red River has only just crested in Emerson, which is the southern most part of Manitoba," Ashton said.
"We're going to see elevated water levels over the next few days."
He said the Red River will crest in Winnipeg on April 17.
In a flood bulletin posted Monday, the province of Manitoba said the Red River is expected to reach 1979 levels in much of the Red River Valley from Letellier to the floodway inlet.
"This is well below 1997 levels but above 2006 levels," says the bulletin. "This means that even though ice has moved out, the flood situation remains serious and vigilance is required throughout the flood zone."
On Monday, dozens of residents who live along the Red River were evacuated.
In St. Clements, north of Winnipeg, dozens of residents were forced to evacuate last weekend after flood waters and large chunks of ice engulfed the banks of the Red River.
According to Mayor Steve Strang, flooding has left the main floors of some houses buried under water.
Although the ice has now moved past the area, about 100 buildings had to be evacuated. Overall, Ashton said the damage has been lessened because of good preparation.
"We are better protected then we were in the past so there will be less impact but we're not over this yet," he said. "There's a lot more ahead in terms of flooding in Manitoba."
Ashton said local residents are tired but they're continuing to work to help their neighbours.
Heavy rain is expected on Thursday, which could lead to more flooding along the river.
Meanwhile, the province of Manitoba announced Monday that it has financial assistance ready to help areas affected by flooding.
Ashton said the province has "every reason to believe" that the federal government will also be there with disaster assistance.
With files from The Canadian Press
