'Now is not the time to relax,' warns EMO before rainstorm that will raise river

A weekend rain storm will halt receding water levels along the St. John River and raise floodwaters in some communities, according to emergency officials.

Environment Canada is forecasting 25 to 45 millimetres of rain will fall in southwestern and central areas of the province, beginning Friday evening and ending Saturday night.

"Now is not the time to relax," said Stacey Cooling, chief of operations for the New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization, in Friday afternoon update to media. "We ask the public to remain vigilant.

"The [rain] will have an impact on water levels."

The river is expected to drop to 7.3 metres in Fredericton by Saturday but remain above the 6.5-metre flood stage for the next five days, according to the latest forecast. The water level is then expected to rise to 7.7 metres by Monday as a result of the rain.

Environment Canada meteorologist Ian Hubbard said strong winds are expected Saturday morning and afternoon. Wind from the southeast could gust up to 60 km/h along the Fundy Coast, while central New Brunswick could see 50 km/h gusts.

A positive sign

The water level in Fredericton has dropped 50 centimetres since Thursday, and levels elsewhere are slowly retreating. Nowhere in the upper basin remains above flood stage, and communities south of Fredericton are starting to see a bit of relief.

EMO spokesperson Geoffrey Downey said Maugerville has only seen a slight increase in water levels over the past 24 hours, and levels have not increased in Grand Lake or Jemseg.

"That's a positive sign that maybe the worst of it has come, at least for those communities, but we're still urging people to be aware and the forecast does change and that does change the river level," he said Thursday morning.

Water levels in Grand Lake, Jemseg and Sheffield-Lakeville Corner will remain more than a metre above flood level until at least Wednesday, according to the province's forecast. In Maugerville, the river will hold at just shy of a metre above the six-metre flood stage into next week.

The St. John River is expected to peak in Saint John on Friday at 5.6 metres, 1.4 metres above the city's flood stage, and begin to slowly recede.

Kevin Clifford, the Saint John Emergency Measures Organization director and fire chief, said flooding has cut off 248 households from the mainland. A coalition of police, firefighters and volunteers have performed more than 200 wellness checks on affected homes.

Jasmin Boisvert, water resources specialist with the Department of Environment and Local Government, said the river's retreat to normal will be "very slow."

Red Cross registers nearly 1,000

As of Friday, 940 people had registered with the Red Cross.

Bill Lawlor, the provincial director of the Red Cross in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, said that number is likely to increase in the coming days.

"If not today, then tomorrow, we'll reach the 1,000 people mark, I'm sure," Lawlor said.

The Red Cross is still helping families affected by last year's flood.

"Many families were just returning home, or to a new home, after quite a significant amount of repair, and getting ready for hopefully what would be a calmer, quieter period of time."

How the 2019 New Brunswick flood looked on Thursday

5 years ago

Duration 1:00

This is how the 2019 New Brunswick flood looks on Thursday along the St. John River basin.

Lawlor said about 70 per cent of the people who've registered this year also registered last year. The other 30 per cent is made up of people who didn't leave their homes last year or didn't register with the Red Cross.

The Red Cross is now appealing for donations from the public to assist the people affected by flooding. The organization said in a statement that donations are "used to assist vulnerable individuals and families with unexpected flood-related expenses not covered by other means" such as nsurance providers or the province's disaster financial assistance program.

Residents affected by flooding can report damage by calling 1-888-298-8555 or by registering online.

The damage report line program allows residents, tenants, small businesses and not-for-profit organizations to receive information and register their flood-related damage.

About 350 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are assisting in flood relief efforts.

The soldiers are filling sandbags at depots, helping people leave their homes, doing wellness checks and protecting infrastructure.

The military is using two helicopters, 22 armoured vehicles and 40 trucks to help people in flood-affected areas, said Lt.-Col. Sean French, commander of the 2nd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment based at Gagetown.

French said residents are thankful for the work they're doing.

"I randomly got an email the other day thanking [us] for delivery of water. It's great to see those responses.

"There's been a lot of cases where coffee has been bought [for the soldiers], food has been bought for the soldiers as they work, so they're very appreciative of that piece."

Roads and ferries

More than 80 roads in the province remain closed Friday because of the flooding, including the Trans-Canada Highway from Exit 306 in Oromocto to Exit 423 in River Glade. Drivers must take a 90-kilometre detour, adding roughly one hour of travel time.

The province said there is no timeline yet for when it will reopen.

New Brunswick RCMP increased enforcement along the detour route after witnessing a near head-on collision and receiving several complaints of aggressive or illegal driving.

Google Maps is directing some people looking to get on the Trans-Canada Highway to Moncton take Route 10, but a section of that road passing through Chipman is also closed.

Four of the province's river ferries remain suspended: Belleisle Bay, Evandale, Westfield and Summerville-Millidgeville.

Several schools remain closed as well, including Cambridge Narrows School, Chipman Elementary School and Chipman Forest Avenue School. Hampton High School, Hampton Middle School, Hampton Elementary School and Dr. Leatherbarrow Primary School are also closed.