Red River rises 10 feet in Winnipeg

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, March 25 (UPI) -- Sandbagging has begun in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the Red River has risen 10 feet in three days and is threatening at least 34 homes, local officials said.

City engineer Grant Mohr said the river was at 13.9 feet and he expects the river to reach 20 feet within city limits by late Thursday, the Winnipeg Sun reported Wednesday.

He said some 24,000 sandbags were being used to safeguard the homes to the 24-foot level, a level reached in 1997.

Mohr said the flow was less than forecast last week, when the city declared 292 homes at risk, and accordingly, the number was reduced to about 70.

Freezing temperatures and snow hampered efforts to break up ice, which would speed up the flow and reduce flood risks, the report said.

Several provincial roads were under water in southern Manitoba Tuesday and were ordered closed, the Winnipeg Free Press said.

The Red River flows north toward Lake Winnipeg from North Dakota, which along with western Minnesota, is also grappling with spring thaw and storm-related rising waters.