Local News
Mayor pushes swift flood action after Steinbach storm causes flooding
Steinbach Mayor Earl Funk says the City is moving quickly to implement both short- and long-term solutions to prevent basement flooding, following last week’s intense rainstorm. Funk has asked City administration to prepare a report for the council’s fall study session on short-term measures that can be taken immediately. In the longer term, the City has secured funding for a climate change and adaptation plan, which will include a risk assessment study to identify projects aimed at minimizing flooding in neighbourhoods across Steinbach. The study is expected to be completed in spring of 2026. “Out of that, we’ll have projects that we can do that will hopefully minimize flooding to neighbourhoods in our city,” Funk says. “We wanted to make sure everyone knew we heard them. We understand their loss. We understand their pain. We want to work on what we can to make things better.” Councillor urges action City Councillor Susan Penner called on council to treat drainage improvements as a top priority during Tuesday’s meeting, noting that repeated flooding has affected many homes, including her own. “There is a drainage issue and we need to do something about it — not in the five-year plan, not in the ten-year plan, but now,” Penner said. She also urged council to explore temporary measures while long-term solutions are developed. Heavy rainfall overwhelms systems The City reported around 126 millimetres of rain fell within four hours during the night of September 11, overwhelming the city’s drainage systems. Funk says crews worked through the night to mitigate flooding, but the sheer volume of water was too much to handle. “Everything was working to capacity — actually even above capacity — but it was overwhelmed,” Funk says. He adds that City crews and council members, including himself, experienced flooding in their own basements. Impact on residents The rainfall caused widespread damage, including raw sewage backups in the Georgetown neighbourhood, where residents report this is the fifth major flood since 2002. More than half the homes in Georgetown had sewage in their basements this month, and some residents no longer qualify for flood insurance after repeated claims. A group of Georgetown residents attended Tuesday’s council meeting, asking why their neighbourhood continues to flood while other areas do not. They are scheduled to make a formal presentation to council on October 21. .embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }