The RM of Portage la Prairie is facing some hefty bills following the recent storm.

Reeve Kam Blight shares the details.

Kam Blight"We've had some catastrophic damage to our municipality with the power lines, obviously," notes Blight. "With that comes some extreme damage to our roads as these hydro workers work so diligently to repair the damage. We've had close to 15 inches of moisture since September 1st, and our roads are taking an absolute pounding. It's going to cost a lot of money to rebuild."

He says they're roughly guessing that about 10 per cent of their roads have to be rebuilt, which involves huge costs. Blight explains the RM's Utilities Department has been extremely active as they assist Manitoba Hydro with location issues, dealing with power outages to keep municipal water flowing, and then dealing with the theft of RM equipment.

Blight shares the costs they're tentatively looking at.

"$1.5 million. That's just a ballpark number that we've thrown out there right now," notes Blight. "And I have fears that it's going to be higher the more we get out there and the more we see. The repair process is not over for Hydro. A lot of the work that they've done is kind of temporary. And there's more. Our staff was in here. My hat's off to public administration and works. They've put a lot of hours in."

He notes many of their families didn't have a Thanksgiving turkey dinner that weekend due to working with the city of Portage, as well. He adds his staff has been working in the office and out in the ground. Blight says he appreciates all of the efforts put in by everyone helping them get through this difficult time.