Saying this year’s flooding emergency has “turned into its own animal”, Bracebridge Mayor Graydon Smith has provided an update on the current situation.
Rain has ended and some snow has arrived, which can work to slow flow rates somewhat – there’ll be no rain now until Wednesday.
“Water levels are up several inches,” Smith told media today, adding that the Muskoka River and Lake Muskoka continue to rise.
Flow rates in the North Branch of the Muskoka River at Port Sydney are at an all time high, registered at 249 cubic metres per second – the highest record prior to this was 228.
In nearby Huntsville, officials are telling residents it could be a week before water levels start to go down.
Smith called the Flood Emergency “a historical event”, adding that it has now “turned into its own animal”.
At Wilson’s Falls in Bracebridge, the current flow rate is 298 cubic metres per second. The record high had been 233.
In the areas of Beaumont Farm and Allport in Bracebridge, residents are being urged to consider evacuating.
In the South branch of the Muskoka River, flow rates are now 57 cubic metres per second, while Lake Muskoka is up 10 cm from its 2013 Flood event height and up 1.3 metres since April 13th 2019.
In 2013, Bracebridge saw 1,092 permanent residents affected by flooding and 1,020 seasonal properties affected.
Smith says this year’s Flood emergency will see this and more.
