Cleaning Up After The Flooding!

Sheila hard at work on the walkway!

Riverbank Discovery Centre had put out a call for volunteers to help with clean-up after the flooding.  We volunteered immediately; Riverbank Discovery Centre is the original home of the Farmers Markets we organize, and we love this gorgeous public space.  We've driven by and through, during and after the flooding, and we knew they had some, ummm, debris problems.  Fortunately, the building, the interpretive centre never flooded, but I found out today the flood waters came half way up the staircase to the building! A close call!

Some of the 'big' debris.

A nice assortment of people came to help: some members of Brandon's Lions Club, some neighbours of the park (Hi, Kay!), some Garden Club members and just some other great people!  Met Sheila, who came to volunteer at Riverbank because she'd been unable to help with sandbagging during the flood.  Good on you, Sheila!  We were picking up debris largely.  I was surprised at some of the large logs deposited, as well as some hefty 4x4's that may have been part of someones dock or something!  We were raking up piles of small stuff: spruce needles, small twigs, straw and reeds were everywhere.  There's also a fine layer of mud over much of the walkways and stairways that is really hard to sweep up!

A great group!

If you'd like to help with more clean-up, Rachelle at Riverbank Discovery Centre says sometime after the July1st weekend there will be another 'party'.  Email her at rachelle@riverbank.mb.ca to register!

Water, Water Everywhere!

The difference in the landscape around Brandon, just in the last few days, is stunning.  Simply stunning.  What was good farm land is now lake.  At Optimist Park (!), the local soccer field, the goal posts have disappeared.  Eleanor Kidd Park's lovely pergola is almost completely submerged.  You know how tall a goal post is - that's how high the water is sitting in the soccer park!  The City of Brandon issued a warning yesterday that those by the river must now prepare to evacuate.  We'd all hoped it would never come to that, but I'm afraid we're now dealing with a 'worst case' scenario.  I've posted about the flood here and here.  The second link has a photo taken in the same place as the bottom photo here; you can see the difference in level on the signs for our local park.  Thing is, apparently some mistakes in calculations were made in Saskatchewan so a lot more water is coming our way than was previously thought.  The crest is still five or six days away.  Already the dikes on 1st and 18th Street are leaking, Veteran's Way may be swallowed up and many homes and businesses are threatened.  We got a message yesterday afternoon that our neighbours at Evergreen Valley Nursery were in trouble.  Water was rising at a rate of an inch per hour!  Unfortunately, our neighbors at Grand Valley Strawberry were over run and and the water was working it's way to Evergreen, including their home.  Grand Valley Strawberry's road was gone so there was really nothing that could be done to help them as water swirled around their home and buildings.  We spend some time yesterday helping to fill sandbags that were then being ferried to Evergreen Valley, where another group was placing them.  If you are in the Brandon area and can help - they'll be filling sandbags at the RM of Cornwallis office, two minutes east of Brandon on Veteran's Way.  As well there's a call out for volunteers to help sandbag at Donnie Ditchfields' and Dave Barnes' at the East end of Rosser.  Apparently you can park at the Green Spot Garden Centre.  Check eBrandon, which has been great at posting updates and having up-to-the-minute info on where help is needed!  If you've got any time to help, your neighbors would really appreciate it!  

Come Swimming in Our Local Park?

Manitoba's Spring Flood Watch continues.  We are completely safe here at Aagaard Farms; it doesn't look like an unusual Spring at all around the Farm.  Thanks for the emails and calls (Hi, Verlene!)  Some of our neighbours are not quite so lucky.  Pictured is our local park 'Cornwallis Park', in the RM of Cornwallis, along Veteran's Way, just outside of Brandon.  It is a lovely little park, usually along the riverbank.  At this time, it is one big lake, almost up to the highway.  Grand Valley Strawberries, the upick strawberry farm, is in the trees to the left of the picture and is sandbagged and seeping!  Around Westman, I am of the understanding that officials believe we have crested and the water will not get any higher, barring big rains.  Other areas of Manitoba are still waiting for the crest.  Thing about flooding of this magnitude is that the repercussions will be felt for years.  Farmers will not be able to get on their land to plant, the crop may never be finished this year, the farmers will have no money to shop for anything so businesses in the area will see a drop in business and may have to lay off employees.  Effects are far reaching, because we're all inter-connected!  Let's hope it dries up quickly!

Flood Warning!

It could be an interesting Spring here in Manitoba.  Flood warnings have been issued by the provincial and city governments for some time now.  Flood preparation is in full swing.  Seven years we've been in Manitoba, and we've never seen anything like this;  this could be serious.  Now, here at Aagaard Farms, we're quite safe.  We're up on the North Hill, east of town, and look down onto the river valley.  Our dugout may over flow, and it's possible the east end of our raspberries and asparagus may drown, but that's a worst case scenario for us.  Our neighbors, at the bottom of the hill, like Grand Valley Strawberries, could be in for a much rougher ride.  The City is preparing by moving in large soil 'bags'; these things are almost five feet tall and three feet wide!  They've also been building up berms in different areas around the river.  This has been brought on by heavy rains in 2010 and a big snow pack this year.  Two years ago the experts were talking drought - may how things can change!