This is a storm considered to occur once in a hundred years: an entire season’s rainfall in just one night.
However, the animal shelter in Steinbach, which relocated to a new facility over two years ago, has not had a September free from animal evacuations due to flooding.
Moreover, around 200 residents in this southeastern Manitoba city are still awaiting confirmation on whether they will receive financial support for consecutive floods from a provincial disaster relief program.
“[The floods occurred] nearly a year to the day, which is hard to believe,” remarked Graham Pollock, vice-president of Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue.
In 2024, a storm delivered 156 millimetres of rain on Sept. 16-17.
September storms delivered record-setting rainfall to Steinbach for two consecutive years. Residents are awaiting updates from the province regarding disaster relief, while the local animal shelter continues its recovery efforts.
This year, rainfall intensity increased. Between Sept. 11-12, the city received 103 millimetres in merely four hours, totaling 135 millimetres before the rain ceased, as reported by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Volunteers from Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue had to secure temporary homes for 22 animals that required relocation for the month it took to address the damage and restore utilities.
On Sept. 12, 2025, water floods the basement of the Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue. (Submitted by Graham Pollock)
The volunteer-operated organization has incurred $50,000 in costs related to overland flooding deductibles within the past two years, and repairs remain unfinished.
Pollock recounted receiving a call at 2 a.m. this year, alerting him that water was again entering through windows and filling the basement.
Shelter president Michelle Neufeld was checking on the cats that night, Pollock noted, and witnessed the situation repeating itself. There had been no rainfall alert issued by Environment Canada for the unexpected storm.
“She noticed that in the back, water was beginning to overflow from the drain and slowly spread across the yard,” Pollock explained.
A pool measuring two metres deep formed in the shelter’s basement, submerging all food and causing other supplies to float near the ceiling.
200 residents awaiting aid
Other residents of Steinbach also suffered significantly during the second year of flooding. The concentrated storm system also released over 100 millimetres of rain on La Broquerie, located ten kilometres east of Steinbach, and on Niverville, situated twenty kilometres northwest of the city.
Troy Warkentin, city manager of Steinbach, stated that the province has not yet classified the flood as a disaster, nor has it approved assistance for approximately 200 residents who have sought help with uninsured expenses through the Manitoba Disaster Financial Assistance program.
Vehicles, including a police car, attempt to navigate Steinbach’s Main Street, just west of Brandt Street, following a heavy downpour on the night of Sept. 11 that extended into the morning. (Christopher Gareau/CBC)
“Experiencing similar storms of such intensity two consecutive years is rare, and the odds must be very low for the city to have faced such events,” he remarked.
Currently, the only disaster assistance approved, announced on Oct. 1, pertains to wildfires this year.
Warkentin hopes to receive updates on Steinbach’s application early next year.
City council members have heard from residents expressing the need for action following the consecutive September storms.
Infrastructure under strain
Public works had already secured approval for a project to duplicate its force main (a pressurized sewer line) that transports water to a lagoon in 2026. This upgrade should enable the stormwater pump to evacuate water from Steinbach at double the current capacity during heavy rainfall.
This fall, city staff have been working on improving grading and clearing vegetation in ditches and drains, Warkentin noted, including nearly two kilometres of the main drain behind the animal shelter, which collects water from the city and surrounding areas to the east and south.
Warkentin also indicated that the city is considering expanding lift stations and drainage infrastructure in the upcoming budget, in light of the city’s rapid population growth.
In the meantime, an increasing number of residents are purchasing sump pumps and backflow valves to protect their homes from flooding.
LaVerna Moreland paddles her kayak through a flooded street in Steinbach in the aftermath of a storm in 2025 that left several southern Manitoba communities submerged. (Radio-Canada)
The animal shelter has also raised the ground around its basement windows.
Nonetheless, Warkentin emphasizes that infrastructure developments and enhancements will not entirely shield the city from severe downpours like those experienced in the last two Septembers.
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“The storms of 2024 and again in 2025 were extraordinarily severe compared to what is typically regarded as the design standard in Steinbach and, frankly, in any municipality with stormwater systems,” he stated.
“They simply overwhelmed the existing infrastructure.”