By Natalie Geddes

People in Lumsden preparing for the worst possible flood in years

Apr 15, 2011 | 8:41 AM

It is now predicted to be the second highest flow of water ever through Lumsden and now people in the valley town are preparing for the worst.

Just south of town, a backhoe digs into the hills, filling truck after truck with dirt. One of the drivers says he's been building berms in and around the town for the last two weeks.

Cassey Fry is at his bosses house repairing the driveway with a bobcat. It was underwater this morning, and he guesses that despite the work, it will probably be back under water Friday.

Through the center of town, the dike system is full of rushing water, pushing unnervingly close to the only bridge crossing the waterway. It's a pretty amazing sight, and it's clear people here think so too. A number of observers gather to watch the water and take pictures.

One photographer says that some parents are nervous that if the bridge were to be washed out that families in the north would be somewhat cut off from the school in the south. Anyone in the south area would be forced to take a long detour to get around.

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Terry Kerbrat owns an antique shop that sits right beside that bridge and dike. Yesterday she moved her merchandise to higher ground. “To be able to pack things at my own pace” she says ” just in case of an emergency”.

The town has been mostly protected from any serious flooding every since a terrible wash out in 1974. It was soon after that time that the dike was built.

According to the town website, they should protect Lumsden to a flow of 450 cubic meters per second. And while that doesn't mean much to the average person, what we can take from that is that the system should hold.

The peak amount of water expected to flow is only around 300 cubic meters per second at some point when the temperature warms up next week.

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