Flooding forces evacuation in parts of Manitoba after rains

WINNIPEG (AP) — Flooding has forced evacuations in some parts of Manitoba after heavy rains caused rivers to swell.

The Manitoba government said some regions in the province’s south received four to six times the normal amount of precipitation in April, much of it in the form of snow that was melting at the same time as heavy rains on the weekend.

The Peguis First Nation, about 150 kilometers (93.2 miles) north of Winnipeg, was placed under a mandatory evacuation order after ice jams on the Fisher River drove up water levels.

“We have probably 480 some-odd homes that are completely surrounded by water and roads have been breached,″ Chief Glen Hudson said Monday.

Close to 900 people were evacuated. Residents were sent to hotels in nearby communities, including Selkirk, Gimli and Winnipeg.