Evacuations will take place this week as a result of rising floodwaters in southern Saskatchewan.
This morning, a decision was made to evacuate a youth detention centre on the western outskirts of Regina.
Twenty-nine teens will be on the move this Thursday and it could be up to five weeks before they are allowed to return.
The facility is for teenaged boys, aged 13 to 17, who have run afoul of the law.
They are being moved to correctional facilities in Yorkton, Saskatoon, North Battleford and near Fort Qu’Appelle.
Wascana creek runs right in front of the centre – you have to cross a bridge to get there.
Judy Orthner, an official with the provincial department of corrections, says there are fears the bridge could be washed out.
“The bridge could be in danger of floating away, as a result we were advised that measures would be taken to save the bridge but that meant the bridge would not be accessible,” she says. “So, our biggest concern was what if there was an emergency, what if someone was sick and had to go to hospital, how would we get them in and out?”
This is the first of what will be many evacuations in southern Saskatchewan.
The area of flood risk runs all the way from Moose Jaw to Indian head and south to Weyburn.
Water has crossed highways in Indian Head and Weyburn — but, at last word, they were still open.
Near Fort Qu’Appelle, there are concerns about flooding at the Indian residential hospital.
A nearby campground at Katepwa Lake flooded out yesterday and First Nations reserves in the area are sand bagging and getting ready for flooding.
One family was evacuated from their home on the Muskowpetung reserve.
At the Standing Buffalo First Nation, right on the Qu’Appelle lakes, residents are also preparing for the worst.
Further east, the Cowessess First Nation is hoping this will be a better spring than 2011, when more than 200 people had to be evacuated from their homes because of flooding.
On the upside, the Water Security Agency says the return to cooler weather this week will help reduce flood risk.