ALTONA, Man. – Sabourin Seed Service Ltd. is used to shipping sunflowers, canaryseed, peas and flax across oceans.
But when there’s a sea of water surrounding their processing plant outside St. Jean, business gets more challenging.
Customers in Germany, Spain or Venezuala don’t understand and don’t much care about the flood that’s taken over the Red River Valley. So for the Sabourins, business must go on.
Since April 23, the company has been working out of space donated by the Altona Mall. The owners moved computers, drawers from filing cabinets and boxes of documents to the corner of what once was a large department store, and forwarded the phones.
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Carole Sabourin explains their inventory is around the countryside. Farmers called before the flood, offering empty bins. A skeleton staff tries to keep things moving.
“It really complicates a lot of our trading,” Sabourin said. “The last two weeks have been like two months.”
Staff are in good spirits, even though they have also left their homes behind, hoping dikes hold out.
Aime Sabourin stayed near the plant, checking for leaks. Carole said her husband hasn’t slept much for three weeks.
The plant had two feet of water inside it during the last big flood in 1979. The exhausting cleanup afterwards spurred the family to ensure the river was kept out this time around.
Sabourin spent a lot of time last week trying to find the rest of her scattered employees. She hoped to get them going back and forth to the plant by boat in the first week of May, as water slowly starts to recede.
She called the costs of preparing for and fighting the flood, as well as the loss of some business, “phenomenal.”
More costs coming
And still to come are the costs of moving back the inventory, reinstalling the offices, reshaping the dike so semi trailers can get in and out of the yard, and filling two holes dug so deep in the yard that a huge backhoe could dig no deeper.
“When you drive into the yard, you see nothing but dike, it’s so high.”
The river is expected to wreak havoc on highways, roads and lanes, making transportation difficult even after the water drops.
In drier times, Manikel Ag Services is a kilometre down the road from Sabourin Seed. But now, the dealership is just across the room in the mall.
Dale Manikel said the shop was up high and out of harm’s way, although roads to it have been flooded. They moved most of their equipment several kilometres away to keep it dry.
Like their neighbors, the Manikels say it is business as usual. During the flood, they’ve sold 10 pieces of equipment as far away as Swan River, Man. and Estevan, Sask.
On April 30, military personnel took their accountant to the shop so he could do his month-end reports.
Their mechanics, evacuated from their own homes, are still going out on service calls in other parts of the province.
Manitoba Pool Elevators has about 10 elevators and two service centres in the flooded region, says president Charlie Swanson.
He applauded staff for their dedication to moving out grain, fertilizer, chemicals and equipment ahead of time.
Swanson said water didn’t significantly damage facilities, but he suspects some elevator pits may need pumping out.
Sabourin and Manikel said they were overwhelmed by the help offered by individuals and businesses around the valley.
“Altona took us in with open arms,” Sabourin said.
