Communities in several provinces grappling with spring floods
Parts of New Brunswick, Alberta and B.C. dealing with rising water levels
Rivers swollen with spring runoff and choked with ice are causing problems for residents in several parts of Canada.
Flooding has plagued areas of central and northern Alberta in recent days, prompting evacuations in Mackenzie County around Fort Vermillion and Buttertown. A critical alert due to high water levels and flooding has also been issued for Woodlands County, around 150 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
The situation is similar along the St. John River in New Brunswick. Water levels have stabilized around Fredericton and Edmundston but the province's emergency response organization says concern is now shifting further downstream.
Rain is forecast over the next 24 hours, which "extends and compounds the problem" with the amount of water running through the river system, said New Brunswick Emergency Measures Organization director Greg MacCullum.
Meanwhile in B.C., the risk of flooding has prompted officials to declare states of emergency in the Okanagan-Similkameen region, in the Nazko Valley and in the Central Okanagan.