Peguis First Nation residents are piling thousands of sandbags around homes and buildings as the community braces for flooding that could reach levels similar to two severe floods that overflowed the area in recent years. 

The Manitoba government said in a spring flood outlook update on Saturday that tens of thousands of sandbags are being sent to the First Nation — located about 160 kilometres north of Winnipeg in the Interlake region — and surrounding communities.

Provincial volunteers have been “mobilized” and are working with the community to prepare for protecting at-risk homes, the update said. 

Premier Wab Kinew previously told CBC News he expects the province will need to get between 1 million and 2 million sandbags to the First Nation.

Non-profit organization Team Rubicon Canada said Thursday it was sending between 50 and 100 volunteers, who were expected to arrive in Peguis over the weekend to help with sandbagging efforts. 

Canada’s emergency management minister, Eleanor Olszewski, said she approved the province’s request for help Thursday. She said in a social media post that the federal government is deploying “humanitarian personnel” and is working closely with Peguis leaders and the Manitoba government.

The province’s updated outlook warns of increased flood risk in the Interlake region, including the Icelandic River and Fisher River basin, due to “above‑normal snowpack, a delayed spring melt and an increased likelihood of rapid runoff combined with spring precipitation.”

Snow surveys show the snow water equivalent in the Fisher River basin is at about 113 millimetres — among the highest seen in recent years, the province said. That’s almost double the long-term average, according to the outlook, and equal or higher than levels seen during past flood years. 

With temperatures expected to hover around 0 C through mid-April, the province said it’s possible there will be fast and heavy runoff once the melt begins.

The province said peak flows are expected to similar levels to the 2014 flood, which displaced more than 100 people. But they could rise to similar levels to the 2022 flood — about 60 centimetres higher than the 2014 flood — if the melt happens faster, the outlook said. 

The 2022 flood triggered states of emergency and forced 1,000 people to evacuate the community.