FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MANITOBA NEEDS MORE ACTION, LESS TALK, TO MITIGATE CONSTANT FLOODING:
MANITOBA LIBERAL PARTY
Winnipeg, Manitoba – With the provincial government formally declaring a state of emergency for the flooding in Western Manitoba, the Manitoba Liberal Party has issued a call for its members to volunteer their time and donate to help local relief efforts.
“While the government’s flood plan deserves some criticism the fact remains that the families affected need help and they need it now,” said Rana Bokhari, Manitoba Liberal Party leader. “Anyone who is able to volunteer their time to help with the sandbagging efforts should do so and those who can’t should consider donating to help people facing floods.”
With the specter of the dreadful 2011 flood still hanging over many Manitobans, the Liberal leader says Manitobans have long required action from the government to prepare for situations like this.
“It is shocking that this NDP government, three years after the disaster of 2011, has done next to nothing to help communities along Lake Manitoba divert rising waters and mitigate damage from flooding,” stated Rana Bokhari, Manitoba Liberal Party Leader.
The Liberal Party argues that this flooding should not be a surprise, because members of the effected communities have been calling on the government to invest in water stewardship and new proactive flood infrastructure for years, but instead we are now seeing the same reactionary response that was seen in 2011.
“People are still out of their homes and not compensated for losses from the 2011 flood, so one has to wonder if the victims of this 2014 flooding will have to go through the same horrific scenario,” says Bokhari. “This status quo is unacceptable and Manitobans have a right to be upset with the government’s inaction.”
The Manitoba Liberal Party calls for the government to build a new outlet from Lake Manitoba, as experts and landowners have been advocating for years, in order to help manage the level of water and mitigate flooding. The Liberals say the province needs a new proactive flood plan to better prepare for common flood occurrences.
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For more information, please contact:
David Koroma, Communications Director for the Office of the Leader of the Manitoba Liberal Party
Cell: (204)599-6312 / Office: (204)289-3033
E-mail: media@manitobaliberals.ca