Joe Bryksa/Winnipeg Free Press
Flood water from the Assiniboine River encroaches on a home in the Rural Municipality of Cartier in Manitoba, May 7, 2011.
May 9, 2011 – 6:12 PM ET | Last Updated: May 9, 2011 6:16 PM ET
Brandon, Man., is grappling with record flooding on the Assiniboine River that has forced nearly 1,000 people from their homes and mobilized hundreds of soldiers to help. Local officials have found themselves facing an unexpected problem: hordes of curious onlookers crowding the dikes and stopping their cars on the city’s two main thoroughfares to snap photos. Residents were treating the flood “like a Saturday night at the movies,” complained the city’s emergency co-ordinator. City council took the unusual step of declaring a state of emergency on Sunday — in order to deal with the gawkers, not the flood. Here, the Post’s Tamsin McMahon talks to Con Arvisais, Brandon’s city clerk and director of emergency public information, about the problem of flood tourism:
Q: Why did the city declare a state of emergency?
A: We had to assemble the city council early yesterday morning. … We have heavy equipment working on these dikes to build them up and we have sightseers all over the place getting in the way. We didn’t have the power to remove them unless we invoked a state of local emergency. We had to do that and we had to do it quickly.
A: We had to assemble the city council early yesterday morning. … We have heavy equipment working on these dikes to build them up and we have sightseers all over the place getting in the way. We didn’t have the power to remove them unless we invoked a state of local emergency. We had to do that and we had to do it quickly.
Q: What were people doing?
A: They were walking on the dikes themselves just to see the high water levels. We’re talking grown-ups, we’re talking kids. Very, very scary. We also have problems with people in cars going up and down our main thoroughfares close to the river. It’s just pandemonium as far as traffic.
Widespread flood evacuations ordered in ManitobaA: They were walking on the dikes themselves just to see the high water levels. We’re talking grown-ups, we’re talking kids. Very, very scary. We also have problems with people in cars going up and down our main thoroughfares close to the river. It’s just pandemonium as far as traffic.
Q: How many people are coming down to sightsee?
A: Enough that the contractor who we’ve hired asked us to do something because it wasn’t safe for them to even operate their equipment.
A: Enough that the contractor who we’ve hired asked us to do something because it wasn’t safe for them to even operate their equipment.
Q: How bad is the traffic?
A: It took my niece half an hour using one of those major thoroughfares to go the equivalent of a city block. Just totally stalled. In the meantime, we’ve got these super-sandbags trying to hold back the water and our provincial highway people are trying to work on these things and traffic is all over the place. People are just stopping, getting out of their vehicle, walking to the side, taking pictures. It’s just insane. So with the emergency powers our police are able to get these folks to move along. We’re telling people just simply: stay away.
A: It took my niece half an hour using one of those major thoroughfares to go the equivalent of a city block. Just totally stalled. In the meantime, we’ve got these super-sandbags trying to hold back the water and our provincial highway people are trying to work on these things and traffic is all over the place. People are just stopping, getting out of their vehicle, walking to the side, taking pictures. It’s just insane. So with the emergency powers our police are able to get these folks to move along. We’re telling people just simply: stay away.
Q: What can you actually do to people who are stopping to take pictures?
A: We can actually fine them up to $50,000. It’s drastic. But it’s the ability now to approach the people and say, “Hey we’ve got to ask you to leave here.” We’re not arresting people.
A: We can actually fine them up to $50,000. It’s drastic. But it’s the ability now to approach the people and say, “Hey we’ve got to ask you to leave here.” We’re not arresting people.
Q: Has anyone been fined?
A: Not that I’m aware of. The message we’ve been sending out … I think it’s working. It needed to work quick.
A: Not that I’m aware of. The message we’ve been sending out … I think it’s working. It needed to work quick.
Q: Are there actually good pictures to be had?
A: Ironically, a lot of media people have set up web cams at different places and that’s great. We’re encouraging people to go on these sites and check out some of these. There’s eBrandon they call it, it’s got a webcam. I think it’s on the east side of the city. Westman Communications Group have got web cams set up and they’re good shots.
A: Ironically, a lot of media people have set up web cams at different places and that’s great. We’re encouraging people to go on these sites and check out some of these. There’s eBrandon they call it, it’s got a webcam. I think it’s on the east side of the city. Westman Communications Group have got web cams set up and they’re good shots.
• To view Brandon webcams, visit www.ebrandon.ca/weather.aspx and brandon.westmancom.com/index.php?id=10027
National Post
tmcmahon@nationalpost.com
tmcmahon@nationalpost.com
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