Flood Fighting Equipment for 2011

The province works closely with Manitoba municipalities to plan and prepare for potential spring flooding and provided a $1 million fund to help municipalities with early preparation for 2011 such as cleaning ditches, steaming culverts or building temporary dikes. A $21 million commitment was also made for the purchase of new and enhanced provincial flood equipment and technology for 2011.

Manitoba has invested in a variety of flood fighting equipment, ranging from heavy equipment to specialized dikes and water barriers:

• three Amphibex icebreakers
• seven ice-cutting machines
• three Argo amphibious ATVs and six trailers to transport all equipment
• three million sandbags
• three new sandbagging units, making a total of six available sandbagging machines, several municipalities also have their own sandbagging machines
• 30,000 super sandbags
• 43 km (26 miles) of rapid-deployment cage barriers
• 24 additional heavy-duty steamers have been ordered, for a total of 61
• 21 new mobile pumps capable of pumping large volumes of water, bringing the provincial total to 36 units
• 72 km (44 miles) of water filled barriers of which 30 km (18 miles) will be in rapid-response trailers