Flin Flon is recovering after two deluges of rain Tuesday afternoon that flooded streets and basements, cut off power for hundreds of residents and led to a boil water advisory for uptown.
The rain came heavily around 3 p.m. Monday, then came again around 5:30 p.m. Toonie-sized hail was reported at different times during the deluge, along with sudden gusts of wind that took down tree branches, blew around debris and caused damage in several portions of the community. Rock cuts near local roadways temporarily became waterfalls, as rainfall tumbled down to lower ground.
Intermittent power outages were reported throughout town during and after the storm. While those outages were quick for some areas, more than 300 homes were still without power Tuesday night. Large chunks of east Flin Flon, including almost all of Green Street, parts of Highway 10A including Walmart and areas near the northern area of the Perimeter, have been affected by the outages.
"Working on an outage in Flin Flon affecting about 320 customers. Hoping to have it restored by 10 p.m.," reads a statement issued Tuesday night by Manitoba Hydro.
One of the storm's effects was felt with the City's water system. A failure after the storm led to a boil water advisory for parts of uptown Flin Flon, as called by the City of Flin Flon and Manitoba's ministry of health, environment and climate.
The affected area covers all homes west of and including Island Drive in Flin Flon, along with homes around Ross Lake, South Hudson Street and on South Main Street - effectively covering almost all of uptown Flin Flon.
"A distribution pump failure leading to a loss of water pressure in the uptown area of the City of Flin Flon distribution system, including all households west of and including the Island Drive area and all uptown areas, including Ross Lake, South Hudson and including the South Main area," reads the advisory.
"Distribution depressurization can compromise the safety of the water supply. Therefore, a boil water advisory is being issued on June 6, 2023 for the specific residential area listed to ensure the protection of public health."
In the affected areas, all water being used for brushing teeth, preparing food or drinks and for drinking should be brought to a rolling boil for at least a minute before being cooled and consumed. The water can still be used for laundry, washing dishes or for showering and bathing.
Once pressure is restored to the system, water samples will be sent from Flin Flon to Winnipeg for testing - once the samples receive the all-clear from the Manitoba Water Services Board, the boil water advisory will be called off.
As of about 8 p.m. Tuesday, portions of Highway 10A between Green Street and Third Avenue and North Avenue from City Hall to Main Street were closed off due to high floodwater. Flooded basements were reported throughout low-lying neighbourhoods and public spaces such as Rotary Park were flooded with rain.
Plumbers, electricians, cleaners and municipal employees were out with a vengeance Tuesday night to try and keep up with damage.
No reports have been made of any injuries relating to the storm, nor has a dollar amount been attached to the damage it caused.
Weather forecasts from Environment Canada's Weather Office call for sunny conditions all week with highs in the 20s, with temperatures expected to jump into the mid-30s this weekend. Flin Flon is currently, as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, under both a heat warning and a severe thunderstorm watch, though the latter is expected to be lifted later Tuesday night.
