KENORA – The Lake of the Woods Control Board indicates that all areas will continue to see exceptionally high flows for the seven-day forecast period. A return to normal flows is unlikely in the coming weeks.
However, with record floodwaters washing out roads and submerging homes north of the bypass in Kenora, there is renewed hope that evacuees will begin to return home as road work is set to start.
City crews have been closely monitoring the water level, showing no signs of rising. Therefore, the road work to East Melick Road and Essex Road can now resume.
Essex Road is estimated to take a day to complete. Once Essex Road is complete, road crews will focus their attention on the flooded areas of East Melick Road, which is 500 metres north of Bells Point Road.
The city plans to raise the street to a safe level.
The project is expected to be finished in one week.
As the road work progress, the city will allow evacuees to return to their homes.
As early as Friday evening, residents who live along East Melick Road between the Portier bridge and the Essex Road intersection (this includes Victoria Crescent, Decemvir Drive, Bell Point Road and Aube Drive) should have access back to their homes.
“We thank the public, especially the residents affected by this evacuation, for their patience, said Kenora’s communication office. “The decisions made have all been made with the safety of our residents at the forefront. We understand how challenging this situation has been for our residents, and we are working as quickly as we can to get people back to their homes.”
