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As floodwaters start receding across parts of New Brunswick, officials are reminding residents that they should still remain on high alert.
The record-breaking flooding affecting the province was due to the combination of a late season heavy snowpack and a sudden increase in temperatures in late April. Officials said the floodwaters were expected to peak Monday in the Saint John area.
The Saint John River – with a flood stage set at 4.2 metres – rose to 5.7 metres above sea level at the height of the flooding.
“The threat is not over,” New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization director Greg MacCallum said in a recent briefing. “It’s not time to let anyone’s guard down. It’s still an emergency situation in some areas.”
The director addressed the anxiety of those living in the flood zone, but he urged residents to remain patient and vigilant, pointing out that the effects of the historic flood could stick around for weeks, or even months.
New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization Geoffrey Downey additionally warned that floodwater is a highly toxic cocktail.
“There’s any number of contaminants in the river right now,” he explained, listing raw sewage, motor oil, propane, and even drowned animals as some of the deadly materials that can be found in floodwater.
CTV News reported that floodwaters should continue to decline in the days to come, “barring a very large rain event,” citing the warning of another official.
