New Brunswick’s River Watch warns of potential flooding in Gagetown

Predicting flooding in New Brunswick is not an exact science and any one factor can tip the scale.

This week, River Watch is keeping an eye on warm temperatures and rain.

"The five-day forecast is looking pretty good,” said Geoffrey Downey, a spokesperson for NB Emergency Measures Organization. “The only community that's scheduled in the next five days to reach or surpass flood levels is Gagetown.”

Derek Pleadwell is the mayor of the municipality of Arcadia and lives in the village of Gagetown where his property is frequently washed out as the river rises.

"The discussion is we are at the whim of mother nature,” said Pleadwell, “and warming temperatures and any great degree of precipitation can really influence things.”

“There's a great deal of snow still left in the north, daytime temperatures are getting close to almost 20 degrees, it's still getting down to freezing or a little below at night so that helps,” he said. “There's a little bit of rain in the forecast, so if the temperature may be off, a little more rain comes in and lands in the wrong spot, there certainly is the potential for flooding."

NB Power said in a tweet Sunday morning, “Ice observers continue to monitor the thaw closely and [are] providing updates to our hydro teams.”

Whether the waters rise or not, Emergency Measures want people to be prepared.

"Anyone sort of below Mactaquac, it's coming,” said Downey. “It may not reach record levels. It may not even flood, but we're certainly encouraging everyone to have their 72-hour preparedness kit ready, to clean up around their yards and just to stay informed,” he said.

EMO says, right now, the most important thing is to stay away from the river as conditions can change quickly and become dangerous.