Manitoba flooding 2nd-worst in 100 years

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, April 15 (UPI) -- Winnipeg, Canada, appealed for sandbag volunteers Wednesday as the Red River rose toward the second-highest level Manitoba has seen in 100 years.

"All the worst-case scenarios are coming at us at the same time," said Randy Hull, Winnipeg's emergency measures coordinator.

More than 800 volunteers answered the call to duty as a crest of 22.2 feet was projected for Thursday or Friday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Alf Warkentin, Manitoba's chief flood forecaster, said the latest projections are more than a half-meter, or more than 20 inches, higher than what officials were predicting a day earlier, the CBC said.

"It's a very serious concern for the city," he said at a flood briefing.

The record for the worst flood in the past century was 24.1 feet in 1997, the CBC said.

A thousand people were asked to leave their homes south of Winnipeg, the CBC said. Along with the Red River, there were also areas of concern along the tributary Seine and Assiniboine rivers, the Winnipeg Free Press said.

Tuesday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper toured the flooded area by helicopter with Manitoba Premier Gary Doer and told reporters afterward he "could see water as far as the eye could see," the Winnipeg Sun reported.

In places, the Red River is 8.5 miles wide, the Sun said.

Two deaths associated with the flood have been reported. An elderly couple in their car were swept away Sunday northwest of Winnipeg in a rural area.