Five Saskatchewan municipalities and one First Nation have officially declared states of emergency as of today.
Maidstone, Radisson, Borden, the rural municipalities of Great Bend and Elfros, and the Poundmaker First Nation are all dealing with excessive water.
Duane McKay, the province’s emergency management commissioner, said other municipalities and First Nations are likely to follow suit to gain access to provincial resources.
Fifty people were evacuated from Poundmaker to hotels in towns surrounding the reserve after the Cut Knife Creek spilled.
In Radisson, 50 homes are at risk and residents are on alert for evacuation notices, he said.
Read Also
Alberta Crop Report: Two sides of the same weather coin
Wet weather in the northern half of Alberta and dry weather in the south delayed harvest across the province during the week ended Aug. 19, 2025.
Volunteers spent the night sandbagging in Borden. The town is surrounded by water and large pumps are to be brought in to help move it.
Significant damage to rural roads has occurred in the area, and some rural and farm residents are also being asked to leave their homes.
Other parts of the province are dealing with heavy snowfall that began overnight and could dump up to 20 centimetres in some places by the time it stops.
Highways spokesperson Doug Wakabayashi said crews have had to adjust to the return to winter conditions. Flooded roads became slush- and then ice-covered and many highways were closed today until plows could get out.
The Water Security Agency said officials will have to review how much snow actually fell and where before revising runoff estimates.
Spokesperson Patrick Boyle said the snow and colder weather would slow the recession of high water but snow is better than rain.
“Rain water has heat in it, and that heat in the rain water accelerates the rate of melt of the snow and so that results in faster higher peaks,” he said. “That’s why we like snow rather than rain.”
SaskEnergy reported that a washout along the Battle River bank on Poundmaker resulted in the exposure of an eight-metre section of gas main. The line is still providing service, but if the bank collapses further the utility will have to shut it off for repair once the water recedes.
