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Three hundred Alberta-based troops were ordered to Manitoba Tuesday and will join 700 from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario who are already battling floodwaters in the province.
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Ashton described the Assiniboine River flood of 2011 as a once-in-300-year event.
"This is something we don't have experience with," he said, noting the Assiniboine River is barreling through southern Manitoba carrying the equivalent of half the flow of Niagara Falls.
He said flood officials are still preparing to divert Assiniboine River water into the La Salle River watershed Wednesday — a move that could flood an area more than 200 kilometres wide.
This is a river that normally you can walk across with hip-waders in most places.
