Flooding concerns continue to rise in many Northern Ontario communities.
Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre has declared a state of emergency for the city due to the ongoing risk of flooding - saying he's been warned it could see "levels that we have never seen before" - while Manitoulin Island still has several communities under states of emergency due to flooding, Manitoulin Health Centre's Mindemoya hospital site remains closed, and several roads on the island, near the north shore of Lake Huron, and other parts of the northeast - including the Goulais River area - have been closed, mainly due to flooding.
Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources has issued flood warnings and/or watches for much of the northeast, with the Chapleau Wawa District under a "flood watch" - which means "potential for flooding exists within specific watercourses and municipalities" - warning residents to "keep a close watch on local conditions and exercise caution around lakes, rivers, creeks and streams" as "spring melt is underway and local waterways are rising rapidly", so "low lying areas may be prone to flooding".
The Township of Chapleau says it is "in regular contact with the MNR and Emergency Management Ontario to monitor conditions and coordinate response efforts as needed", with Township staff monitoring and recording the river water level daily - as of 1 o'clock Monday afternoon, it was still over 3.5 feet below "Stage 1" for the Township's Emergency Committee, with the Township emphasizing "no immediate threat...at this time" nor is Chapleau "facing an imminent flood situation at this time".
It does assure that the Township has over 15,000 sandbags in stock and over 160 cubic metres of screened sand available and ready to deploy if required.