Roads reopen, clean-up continues as floodwaters steadily drop
Latest figures show most areas of the province should be below flood stage by Monday or Tuesday
Water levels continue to drop and most areas could be below flood stage as early as Monday, according to New Brunswick's latest Riverwatch forecast.
As floodwaters recede, more roads across the province are beginning to reopen.
The City of Saint John reopened Westfield Road to traffic yesterday after it passed inspection. It closed after floodwaters took over the road.
Almost half of the roads within city limits that were closed during flooding have now reopened, according to the city's Emergency Management Organization (EMO).
In Fredericton, the road network has more or less returned to normal, spokesperson Wayne Knorr said Saturday.
Saturday also marked the official end of the city's recommended evacuation for most homes, except for homes that are still surrounded by water in the areas of Tippet Drive, Farry Cove Road, Lawrence Long and Road by Road 7.
A full list of road closures is available here.
Fredericton marathon goes ahead
In Fredericton, the annual marathon took place Sunday as planned but with a different route.
While the race was supposed to close down Westmorland Street Bridge and other streets, the City of Fredericton asked race organizers to change course.
"The community has been under some stress and many roads have been closed for the better part of two weeks," said race director Paul Lavoie in a release on Fredericton Marathon's website.
"Closing the Westmorland Street Bridge and other streets would have created some additional difficulties this weekend," he said.
Instead, the Boston Qualifying (BQ) certified route for the main events on Sunday consisted of the "out and back" route along a trail system to Penniac from Queen's Square Park, where the start and finish line is located.
Latest water levels
By early Sunday morning, water levels were roughly 5.7 metres along the St. John River near Fredericton, down from six metres at the same time yesterday. The levels are about a metre below flood stage, according to real-time data provided by the federal government.
In Maugerville, water levels were at 5.3 metres, almost a metre below flood stage for that part of the river.
In the Saint John area, levels were at about 4.2 metres Sunday morning, hovering just at flood stage.
According to the Riverwatch forecast, water levels for most areas of the province should drop below flood stage by early next week.
The forecast says water levels should be at 5.2 metres in the Fredericton area by Tuesday, while levels should be at 3.9 metres in the Saint John region by Wednesday.
In Sheffield-Lakeville Corner and Jemseg, water levels could still be above flood stage next week, although only Jemseg is expected to have water levels above flood stage for the rest of the week.
Volunteers lend a hand
Saint John's EMO organized a "volunteer blitz" this weekend to help homeowners affected by flooding.
On Saturday, 64 volunteers helped 17 homeowners in flood-affected areas, while about 48 people showed up to help on Sunday.
Volunteers were assigned to teams and shuttled to various flood-impacted areas across the city.
Samaritan's Purse Canada, a disaster relief organization, is also in New Brunswick helping out with with cleanup. Those interested in volunteering their time to flood relief can contact them at 1-844-547-2663.
In addition, New Brunswick EMO has launched a website with information for property owners on cleanup, safety and details on volunteering. The website also has information on registering for assistance.
Information Morning hosting special show on flood cleanup
On CBC radio Monday morning, there will be a province-wide phone-in show that will replace regular Information Morning shows across N.B.
Host Terry Seguin will be joined by a panel of experts to take questions on flood cleanup.
From 6 a.m. to 8:37 a.m., listeners from throughout the province can call in to ask about health and safety, home repairs and insurance.
The number to call is 1-800-590-8181.
The show will also be livestreamed at cbc.ca/nb and on Facebook Live from 7:10 to 8 a.m.