Environment Canada has warned that a major storm hitting parts of southern Manitoba on Tuesday afternoon could be the worst blizzard in decades. The meteorological service has warned that travel will become more and more difficult throughout the day on Wednesday and advises people not to travel and wait for power outages. READ MORE: Large blizzard coming to Manitoba that could be the worst in decades: Environment Canada Johanu Botha, head of the Manitoba Emergency Management Agency, said the province is working very closely with Manitoba Hydro to design such an event. “We always hope for the best, but we plan for the worst,” he said. “We are well aware that, in the event of a power outage, we must prioritize their resources to ensure that municipalities and communities can continue to operate.” With regard to emergency services and critical services, Botha said the province has implemented plans to ensure that the critical limit of these services can be continued regardless of the storm. “These services could be affected, but we have done everything we can to minimize the impact on them.” The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has warned that home care services may be affected in the coming days due to a forecast snowstorm. READ MORE: Blizzard Could Affect Winnipeg Home Care Services Fisaha Unduce, executive director of hydrological forecasting and water management in the province, said the forecast could avoid significant flooding. With the mercury expected to stay below zero for the rest of the week – this will allow for a slow and gradual melting. “We know this is a major blizzard, but we have been through significant blizzards many times. As Manitobans, we have experience experiencing even storms that are (much) more severe than that,” Unduce said. “In terms of floods, the rivers of Manitoba have capacity and our flood defenses are very effective in handling any volume that may result from this melting snow.” But when the snow began to fall, Manitoba Transport and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Pyunick said staff would be evacuated immediately after the storm to ensure the main thoroughfares were cleared within four hours. He said it was important for Manitobans to be safe and smart on the streets. “When the RCMP declares that it is closing the highways, if people can stay away from the highways, because not only will it be dangerous with the snow blowing, the winds, but it is also the water in the ditches.”
