Evacuation order still in effect for New Brunswick village at risk of flooding

PERTH-ANDOVER, N.B. – A state of emergency remains in effect in a western New Brunswick community where a massive ice jam is putting homes and businesses at risk of flooding.

Perth-Andover village official Dan Dionne says roughly 300 people are affected by a mandatory evacuation of low-lying areas declared Saturday night.

Dionne says the village is allowing people to return to their homes briefly on Sunday, but he hopes everyone continues to co-operate with the evacuation because water levels could rise quickly if ice shifts on the river.

New Brunswick’s Emergency Measures Organization says Perth-Andover is at risk of significant flooding because of ice build-up on the Saint John river.

Dionne says a flood in 2012 destroyed 75 buildings in the community and prompted the relocation of some homes to higher ground.

The Canadian Red Cross says most of the people evacuated Saturday night are staying with friends and family, but some spent the night at a temporary shelter set up at a local school.