Vittorio Hernandez - AHN News
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (AHN) - Manitoba officials went ahead and pushed through with the plan to release water from the swollen Assiniboine River on Saturday. However, officials slowed the rate of release from the original plan of 3,000 cubic feet per second to less than 500.
Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization Minister Steve Ashton told the province's legislature on Monday that the controlled release of water will likely not go beyond 1,000 cubic feet per second in the coming days.
He explained that dry, sunny weather has helped flood fighters stabilize the inundation in the Canadian province.
The government released the water at the Hoop and Holler Bend to ease pressure on the dikes weakened by the high level of water and to prevent more widespread damage if the dike blew. The released water flowed southeast of the Hoop and Holler Bend and has so far flooded three homes, Ashton disclosed.
Flood controllers continue to monitor about 20 weak spots on dikes along the river west of Portage la Prairie.
The flood has so far displaced 3,600 Manitobans. To help the province cope with the inundation, Ottawa sent 1,500 Canadian Forces to help strengthen the dikes through sandbagging operations.
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