Sask. man living in N.B. describes record flooding

Kyle Werner is no stranger to the rising waters of the Saint John River.

The 37-year-old from Lloydminster has lived in New Brunswick for nearly two decades and is used to the cycle of springtime flooding.

“The Saint John River system is massive. Coming from Saskatchewan and Alberta, you have those major rivers, but this one’s different,” he said Thursday.

“When it gets this high, it’s almost like an ocean of flood plain.”

The province’s Emergency Measures Organization said the river hit 5.34 metres above sea level in Saint John — water levels not seen since 1973 — and will likely exceed that on Saturday when forecasts say it could reach 5.8 metres.

Roughly 100 homes have been evacuated, affecting about 260 people, but those numbers are expected to climb.

“For whatever reason, this year it was a surprise,” Werner said.

Werner lives in Hanwell, a subdivision of Fredriction, about a 10-minute drive from the city’s downtown.

He said emergency crews have been stationed there for days, and several streets are completely under water. Traffic is severely restricted and as of Tuesday, 800 parking spots downtown weren’t accessible.

“There’s only one way across that river, because several of the on-ramps — well, all of the on-ramps — are under water,” he said. “The street that hits (the bridge) straight on, you can cross that way.”

While Werner’s home is safe on higher ground, his wife’s cousin bought a house across the river less than a year ago.

“He can’t get to within almost a kilometre of his house,” Werner explained.

“His whole basement, there’s water pouring in through the windows. The whole street’s under water — three, four feet of water — over top of the street, you can drive a boat down it.”