Still Watching The Flood Situation

   Even though we've had a few days of sunny, hot, drier weather, flooding is still a major concern in our area. In Saskatchewan this weekend, more than 70 communities were under local states of emergency. The provincial government will be setting up response centers around the province to help flood victims, by giving them aid they need.
   One was set up in Melville Friday after flooding last week caused major damage (see picture), while others will be set up in Yorkton, Esterhazy and other areas. The good news is the water is going down. The bad news is there's going to be a lot of damage to repair, and there's a lot of farmland under water.
   In Manitoba, Prime Minister Stephan Harper toured flood stricken areas, including Brandon, where the first crest of flood water rolled through this weekend. Luckily for that city, the water wasn't as high as it was in 2011. Another crest is due later this week, but officials expect it will be lower that the one this weekend.
   When it comes to the cost of cleaning up, in Saskatchewan, premier Brad Wall figures it could be around 360 million dollars, and he's hoping to get a 100 million advance from the Feds. On his part, the Prime Minister says aside from what's currently available for disaster relief, neither Saskatchewan or Manitoba can expect much more money from Ottawa.
   I count myself as extremely fortunate. I've been checking every day, sometimes twice, for signs of water incursion into our home. So far, we're dry.

TTFN