Pictures of the Flood

Rural Municipality of Good Lake No. 274

Box 896, Canora, Sask. SOA OLO

Phone 306-563-5244 Fax 306-563-5005

E-mail

www.GoodLakeRM.com

July 13th 2010: Flood Conditions at Burgis Beach

The State of Emergency continues due to flood conditions. The R.M. has the power to make decisions related to the kind of emergency response we believe is necessary to reduce potential damage from flooding.

Building Inspectors from the province are on site at Burgis Beach today, and will be doing an assessment over the next few days of the buildings affected by the flood waters.

The team of building inspectors will be looking to see if the water has gotten into the bottom side of the floor system, or more. They also suggested that windows on affected properties be opened for ventilation inside the building.

An Assessment of Works has begun at Burgis Beach, in terms of what else can be done by the emergency crews. A team from Sask Watershed is on site today to evaluate the flood proofing measures done to date, how they will stand up, and assess other works that could be done that will have a positive impact on the situation.

The 25 fire fighters from the provincial Fire Management Forest Protection branch have been a tremendous help to local residents, but they will be leaving on Thursday. The RM will continue to have sand bags and sand available for property owners.

Water Levels have stabilized, and even dropped a bit: The Saskatchewan Watershed Authority advises that lake levels have dropped ever so slightly. There is still water coming into the lake, but output is starting to win over input. Hopefully over the next week inflows will drop further and the lake level will continue to decrease slowly, but this is dependent on further rainfall. Wind and waves continue to be a major concern.

Testing of the Water Quality: Public health inspectors from the Sunrise Health Region took water samples from flooded cottage areas at Burgis Beach and at the Provincial Park on Monday. Results are expected on Thursday from these tests, but in the mean time, stay out of the stagnant water in the hamlet. There are serious health concerns being raised about this. Watch for rashes developing, fevers, etc.

Rest and stay healthy: Take care of cuts and open blisters, watch for signs of infection and wash/shower regularly. Need to talk to someone? Call the Sunrise Health Region at 786-0558.

Only use extension cords with ground-fault protection built in: Or use your bathroom plug-in that has a ground fault built into it. A drive to the hardware store might save your life.

Boaters need to watch for floating debris on the lake; materials are known to have "escaped" into the lake. Boaters also need to take care to not create wakes in the resort areas, as this is causing difficulties for property owners.

Access to Burgis Beach is restricted to property owners and emergency personnel. Security is posted at the entrances to Burgis Beach and you will be asked to identify yourself when entering the area.