Peguis flooding forces residents out

Nearly 200 people on Manitoba's Peguis First Nation have been forced from their homes because of severe overland flooding, emergency officials report.

A storm system dumped rain and hail on parts of the Interlake region of the province on Friday, washing out roads and forcing the evacuations.

Because of the large amount of precipitation in the region, the ground is completely saturated in many areas. About 100 homes are flooded out.

Seventy-six people were taken from the community on Saturday night, and a further 114 were removed on Sunday.

Provincial officials said some of them have been taken to nearby Gimli, 80 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Others are staying at a hotel in Winnipeg.

But Darren Mini, the acting director of the Manitoba Association of Native Firefighters, confirmed that more people are asking to leave. The association is conducting the rescue efforts.

People are dealing with the situation in the dark, Mini said.

"They've had some electrical storms which has knocked out their power, but their main problem is the roads are being washed out from the overland flooding."

Mini added people on the Fisher River First Nation are also experiencing flood-related problems.