The City of Steinbach is urging residents to document and report flood damage following this week’s heavy rainfall that left many properties under water. Mayor Earl Funk says the city recorded about 126 millimetres of rain at the fire hall weather station between Thursday evening and Friday morning, triggering widespread overland flooding, sewer backups, and sump pump failures. The TG Smith Centre sustained about eight inches of water and will be closed for an estimated two to three weeks while crews clean up and rebuild the ice surface. Funk is asking all affected homeowners to carefully track any repairs. “Take pictures of the damages and any repairs or cleanup you’re doing, keep detailed records of any repairs like invoices for labour, materials, or contracted work, and contact your insurance provider to verify whether the damages are eligible for insurance,” Funk says. The city has confirmed it is looking into whether this rainfall event qualifies for the Province of Manitoba’s Disaster Financial Assistance (DFA) program. If a DFA program is established, residents will need to have their insurance provider complete an Insurance Declaration Form, which is available on the province’s website. The City of Steinbach says the volume of rain caused stormwater flows in all neighbourhoods, with open drainage channels, creeks, and ditches reaching or exceeding capacity. The city’s gravity sewer system operated at full capacity during the storm and returned to normal levels by Friday morning. This week’s flooding comes almost exactly a year after a major weather event on September 16 and 17, 2024, when about 200 millimetres of rain fell on Steinbach over two days, also causing widespread flooding and damage to homes and businesses. Funk says city council is very aware of the flooding issues and is looking at ways to prevent similar events from happening in the future. “As mayor, I will commit, and council will commit, to looking at ways we can help improve our position on these things,” Funk says. “We will continue to work on and look for solutions so we can mitigate damage if this happens again.” He notes some improvements are already planned for the coming year, but studies and infrastructure upgrades take time. “These are not easy fixes,” Funk says. “We need to also know what is going on underground, and we will keep working on it.” The City is encouraging anyone who experienced uninsurable, storm-related damage to visit the Province of Manitoba’s Emergency Management Organization webpage at www.gov.mb.ca/emo for more information on the DFA process. Updates from the City will be posted at www.steinbach.ca. The City of Steinbach is also asking property owners who experienced damage during the September 11-12 rainstorm to complete a damage report form, available on the City’s official website: https://www.steinbach.ca/report-september-2025-rainfall. The information collected will help the City assess the full extent of damage in the community and will be shared with the Manitoba Emergency Measures Organization. In a news release from the City, it's noted that submitting the form is a key step in determining whether the province will provide Disaster Financial Assistance for affected residents. Property owners are asked to submit their information by September 29, 2025. Completing the form does not guarantee financial assistance, but it is necessary for the City to advocate for provincial support.