Wind-driven ice continues to threaten homes and cabins along a flooding east-central Saskatchewan lake, but there was some relief for the region Sunday as sunny skies and gentle breezes lessened the danger.
Ice has been blown up onto lakefronts and beaches of a number of homes along the northeast shore of Fishing Lake, said Saskatchewan government spokesperson Duane McKay.
The lake's water level was unchanged, according to measurements taken yesterday, but McKay said it's still expected to rise up to 200 millimetres over the next week.
"In some areas, the lakeshore has a very gentle slope so the water just continues to rise," he told Â鶹´«Ã½net in a phone interview on Sunday.
About 300 homes and cabins have been affected by the rising lake and some have as much as a metre of floodwater.
About a dozen communities remain under a state of emergency, unchanged from Saturday, with the hardest hit areas including the rural municipalities of Sasman and Foam Lake.
McKay said the 632 people evacuated from Red Earth First Nation are back home now.
"But there's still a large number of people who won't be able to use their cabins this year, as well as some permanent homes in that area," he told Newsnet.
Premier Lorne Calvert toured the area Saturday. He assured residents the government will focus on finding solutions. Because of rising water levels, most residents say they've given up on trying to save their homes and are now focused on salvaging what they can.
McKay said the expected flood overwhelmed the area despite the preparations made.
"We did quite a bit of prep work. We knew that going into the fall that the moisture levels were significant. We also knew that during the winter the snowfall was above normal. We did do a lot of pre-planning with areas to try and get them prepared. But ultimately, the waters came and waters in that particular area came up -- and there was very little (we could) do."
With a report from the Canadian Press
