‘We’re stuck’: Winnipeg resident trapped in Duck Mountain Provincial Park after floodwaters wash out roads

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is urging residents in the Parkland region to stay off all roads due to serious flooding.

A Winnipeg man says the most recent storm to hit Manitoba has kept him trapped in Duck Mountain Provincial Park as multiple roadways have been washed out.

Jerrod Cox went with his kids to visit his parents at their cottage in Waldman Lake on Monday.

“Monday afternoon we got here. Monday evening, all throughout the night, it rained,” said Cox.

The original plan was for Cox and his family to head home on Wednesday, but he started hearing the rain might have made it difficult to travel, so they tried to leave Tuesday.

They tried three different routes; each one was either blocked off or had police redirecting drivers to go elsewhere.

“That was it. We decided, ‘OK, we’re stuck; we have to go back to the cottage.’”

On Wednesday, the province said around 50 roads were reported damaged, covered in water, or washed out, which included all the roads in Duck Mountain Provincial Park.

More than 200 millimetres of rain fell in some areas over the last couple of days, and 30 communities in Manitoba have declared states of emergency.

“For this reason, travel is significantly restricted, and unless you are responding to an emergency or live in the area, travel is not advised,” the province said in its flood bulletin Wednesday.

Cox said there aren’t many people stranded where his parents live, as the campground and surrounding area are fairly empty. But for those who live there all summer, he said they’ve already had to figure out things like medication.

“One of our neighbours was running out of medication. I’m a pharmacist, and what I have the ability to do is try to find something that’s equivalent,” said Cox. “My parents have got something that’s equivalent, kind of (an) equivalent dosage. So that’s what I did for her.”

His family is from Swan River and said they have never seen anything like this for as long as they have lived in the area.

“It’s really tough right now for people out in this area of the province and even the rest of Westman,” said Cox.

Even though Cox is a little stressed and anxious about the current situation, he said his kids are taking the whole thing in stride.

“We’ve got warm beds, we’ve got plenty of food. We’ve got showers; we’ve got water up here, running water. So being in a cottage is very fortunate,” he said.

Thursday afternoon, Manitoba Parks said the provincial park remains closed and work has started to repair roads.

“Anyone within the park must continue to shelter in place. Conservation officers and park staff are conducting wellness checks and supplies, medications, baby formula and diapers are being brought in,” Manitoba Parks said in a social media post.

Kinew tours flood-ravaged areas

Premier Wab Kinew is in the Parkland Region Thursday to tour the hardest-hit areas.

“Folks in the Parkland have seen flooding before, but not like this. Not to this extent, not to this scale, not hitting this many areas of the regions at the same time,” Kinew said Thursday morning.

The premier announced the province has put up $5 million through the Disaster Financial Assistance program, allowing municipalities to access money quickly so they can start cleaning up and rebuilding.

When asked about how the province plans to mitigate these kinds of issues in the future, Kinew said it’s important that as the rebuilding process happens, it’s done in a way that is focused on improving the infrastructure for the future.

“We want to build resilient infrastructure. So it’s not just about building back the same thing we had before. Now that we’ve seen what can happen with a change in climate, we need to build infrastructure that is going to meet that need.”

The mayor of Swan River has asked the province to request military assistance due to the flooding in the area.

Kinew said he did speak with the federal government on Wednesday and has put the request in. He notes it might take a couple of days before they find out if it has been approved.

‘It’s been excessive’

For the RM of Roblin, the recent storms have just continued to add onto problems that have been compiling since the end of April.

The Head of Council for the RM, Robert Misko, said the snowmelt happened late in April, and the melt happened quickly.

“We had a lot of snow this year. When it did all of a sudden start up, the water was rushing through everywhere,” said Misko. “There are some roads that this will be the fourth time that we’re repairing them; they got washed out.

“This has been an ongoing one, basically pretty much the whole year since the snow started to melt in our area.”

Misko said the highway in the area has been flooded twice this year, something he says he has never seen happen.

Everything that has unfolded he has called “extreme.”

“I’m hoping this year, as hell, wouldn’t become the new normal. I mean, it’s been excessive,” he said.

To compound the issue, Misko said when crews have been putting up signs and barricades for washed-out roads, people have been coming and stealing them.

“What part of stupid would you be to think that you’re gaining something by stealing road closed signs or throwing them away?” he said.

“We’re running out of road signs.”