Breach!

In an attempt to divert water from overwhelming the Assiniboine River defences the Manitoba government has intentionally breached a diking system just east of Winnipeg.  The intentional cut at Hoop and Holler Bend on the Assiniboine intentionally endangers about 200 square kilometres of prime farm land and approximately 200 homes in the area.

Troops help to flood proof a home (Jonathan Hayward/Canadian Press)

With water levels still on the rise in the west, and the peak river levels still weeks away Premier Greg Selinger worried that constant pressure on the ad-hoc diking system would be too great to handle the increase in pressure.  Faced with a possible catastrophic diking failure he gave residents as much warning as possible to safeguard their homes before breaching the dike.

Strategic planning diagram of the Hoop and Holler cut (Government of Manitoba)