Flood clean-up continues in the R.M. of Dufferin. Repeated warming and freezing this spring caused ice to plug rural ditches, in some areas the jams were two to three feet thick, forcing spring run-off to back up. An ice jam on the Boyne River also caused the waterway to the spill its banks. The culmination of these two scenarios forced the municipality to call a State of Emergency in order to take extra measures to protect local property.

"A lot of the water went across peoples' land, it didn't do a lot of harm but it did cause some havoc," explained Reeve George Gray. He added that washed-out culverts compromised about forty to fifty miles rural roads, forcing school classes in Carman to be canceled for a few days because buses just couldn't travel on the roads.

Gray adds however, the public works department did a "stellar job" in repairing the damage. "It's pretty-well back to normal. There were some major disruptions but (workers) have done a wonderful job putting it back together."

Overall, he expects the cost of damage to range between $50,000 and $100,000 and confirms that the municipality will be making Disaster Financial Assistance claims.

Local officials met Tuesday to review how the state of emergency was handled. "Everyone is of the same opinion that it was an event that was handled very, very well," noted Gray. He added that the high-water event took everyone by surprise and commends residents for their fast action to help sandbag, noting the response was remarkable with hundreds of people eager to lend a hand.