Churchill Floods Cause Havoc on Train Service

 

Churchill flooding

Flooding at Churchill’s Goose Creek subdivision. Riccki O’Connor photo.

Nobody really thought ahead when the massive blizzards were pounding Churchill this past March. When the spring thaw came, permafrost has prevented meltwater from permeating the soil and has lead to major flooding in parts of the tundra from Thompson to Churchill along the Hudson Bay rail line.

Once again, as was during the time of the blizzards, supplies and groceries have been delayed due to lack of train service to the northern community. During the March storms groceries were stranded in the south for three weeks leading to a state of emergency.

“With the spring melt underway, water is everywhere”, said Mayor Mike Spence. “We’ve got historic record water flows coming into our community here. It’s a lot of water coming down,”.

Not expected to peak until early June, the Churchill River, as of last weekend, was flowing at about 160,000 cubic feet per second (cfs). With ice still on the Churchill River the flow of overrun onto land can be unpredictable due to tidal flow and ice jamming along shore.

The Goose Creek subdivision has been flooded up river and volunteers have been furiously filling and placing sandbags to try to contain the water. The tracks over parts of the 100 mile stretch of the Hudson Bay rail line have been completely flooded over and no trains have been through since May 23rd.

“We have a rail problem here where we are not able to use the train system because of damage to the rail line, so that needs to be attended to, and that actually can’t be attended to until the water conditions are dealt with.” stated Spence.

Churchill is working with Thompson’s Calm Air, to work out plans to fly groceries into town as soon as possible!

Two Exquisite Northern Lights Photos

noerthern lights above Athabasca Glacier

Northern Lights above the Athabasca Glacier in the Canadian Rockies. Paul Zizka photo.

 

Aurora Borealis in Banff National Park, Alberta

“Eruption” of aurora borealis in Banff National Park, Alberta. Paul Zizka photo.

These two images highlight the creativity and photography talent of Paul Zizka. His northern lights photos, especially, evoke a solitude and ethereal feeling unlike any other photographer’s work we have seen recently. His usage of foreground features accentuate the tantalizing glow of aurora borealis. These western Canada northern lights shots capture the allure of the wild and untamed Canadian Rockies! Enjoy!

Churchill Photo of the Week

Dorota Walkoski of Great White Bear Tours captured this harbinger of spring image in Churchill. Caribou, snow geese and Canada geese fill the landscape and feed on the bounty which the north provides this time of year! Bountiful Churchill summer will be upon us soon and avid explorers will flock to town for birding excursions, beluga whale charters and tundra exploring in search of fox, polar bears, Arctic hare and even wolves. This summer on the Hudson Bay is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in recent years. Stay posted for all the news and photos from the north!

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