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St. John River Laps at Buildings in Fredericton, New Brunswick

by Rob Walker | April 24, 2008 at 11:18 am | 980 views | add comment

Melting snow and rain caused problems for residents as flooding from the St. John River rose to cover parts of the highways outside Fredericton, New Brunswick.

So far the river hasn't caused any major damage to houses, though residents near the affected areas are putting their valuables in high areas of their houses and in attics to prevent water damage.

There's also a blog with pictures of the flooding here.

Flooding brought on by melting snow and rain is continuing to cause headaches in New Brunswick.

In the most recent development, the St. John River has risen to cover parts of Route 105 in the Maugerville area near Fredericton, one day after covering parts of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Andy Morton, the deputy director of the province's Emergency Measures Organization, told The Canadian Press that the river had risen 10 centimetres since Wednesday and was expected to rise another 10 centimetres by Thursday morning alone.

Some highways, rural roads and parking lots in and near the New Brunswick capital were under water Wednesday as the St. John River spilled its banks in a spring ritual fed by snow run-off.
The height of the river, which runs through Fredericton, was measured Wednesday afternoon at just over seven metres, almost a metre higher than earlier in the week, according to city spokesman Wayne Knorr.

"Currently, we have exceeded a flood stage in Fredericton," he said. "It's resulted in localized flooding in some of our low-lying, flood-prone areas."

The annual spring flooding along the St. John River in New Brunswick has begun and residents living in low-lying areas were advised Tuesday to take precautions.

"Those residents should be taking steps to protect their property if they haven't already done so, securing objects that may be flooded and looking at their yards to see if there are any materials that might float away," said Andy Morton, deputy director of the province's Emergency Measures Organization.

On April 21, the Government of New Brunswick’s River Watch 2008 and the Department of Public Safety’s New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization issuing a flood watch. With warm temperatures and light rain expected this week, water flows and levels are expected to continue to increase significantly for the next few days. In Fredericton, water levels are expected to exceed the flood stage on April 22–23. An ice movement warning is also in effect for streams, tributaries and rivers in the northeastern portion of the province.