Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Emergency Measures Organization
Water levels are beginning to rise in parts of New Brunswick, with two communities already under a water-level advisory and another one set to move to a watch by weekend, according to the province's River Watch website. An water-level advisory is two metres below flood stage, and a water-level watch is one metre below, according to the site.
A flood warning was issued for Carmacks, Yukon, Tuesday as the Yukon River continues to rise near the community. "Low lying areas are currently flooding," reads a news release from the Yukon government's Emergency Measures Organization (EMO). The river level rose by 21 cm in the last 24 hours, according to EMO. Part of the rise is because of rain. The weather forecast calls for more rain on Wednesday and then some clearing.
A flood warning was issued for Teslin Lake early Monday afternoon by the Yukon government's Emergency Measures Organization (EMO) as low-lying areas around the lake are flooding. "I've seen flooding before, but not [water] this high," said Kayne Geddes, a contractor who lives in Teslin. "Everybody's worried, they don't know what to expect." Geddes estimates there are about 100 people in the village who are helping protect low-lying areas by filling and placing sandbags.
Heavy downpours and strong winds are causing power outages and toppling trees and branches in some areas of southern New Brunswick. As of Tuesday evening, N.B. Power was reporting more than 4,000 power outages, with about half of those in the Kennebecasis Valley in southwestern New Brunswick and about 1,000 outages in the Moncton area. Roads in the Rothesay and Quispamsis area were littered with large branches, and heavy rain and hail continued to pelt the area.
As winter nears an end, the New Brunswick government is advising residents who live near flood-prone areas to have emergency preparations ready. "While we are weeks away from overland flooding being a potential threat, the weather over the next two days is a reminder preparedness is a year-round necessity," said Greg MacCallum, director of the Emergency Measures Organization.
Evacuation alerts have been issued for areas of Tagish, as well as areas of Marsh Lake and Lewes River Road in Yukon, according to a public flood update released by the Emergency Measures Organization Saturday. The alert is because of high water and flooding in the area. All of Southern Lakes and Lake Laberge have surpassed 2007 flood levels. Yukon residents and visitors in the affected area have been placed on alert and must prepare to be ready to evacuate on short notice.
The threat of flooding along the St. John River caused by melting snow and ice is over for the season, says the provincial government. On Monday, the province announced it was ending its River Watch program, which offers daily forecasts of the water levels along the St. John River, which is prone to breaking its banks every spring. "A number of factors go into [ending River Watch] but the big one is really how much snow there is [on the ground] and this late in the season, if there is any ice left [in the St. John River]," said Geoffrey Downey, spokesperson for the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization, which participates in the program.
