Red Earth Flood Forecast Looking Better

Red Earth Flood Forecast Looking Better

Wednesday, April 18, 2007 at 12:45

The potential flooding situation at the Red Earth First Nation has improved slightly.

Saskatchewan Watershed Authority spokesman Dwayne Rowlett says the peak of the nearby Carrot River this coming weekend is expected to be 550 cubic metres per second — not the 600 cubic metres per second originally forecast.

Rowlett also notes the water flows on the river should be well down from last year’s peak of 800 cubic metres/sec.

However, Rowlett says there could still end up being slightly higher water levels in Red Earth itself — because of its close proximity to Red Earth Lake, which has higher water levels than last year.

He says things are looking up, but it’s too early to know for sure if the community will avoid a repeat of last year’s disaster.

Red Earth has been making preparations for a worst-case scenario for months.

Evacuation centres have been set up in Prince Albert and Saskatoon in case of an emergency situation.