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HAY RIVER - Frustration with town and government efforts to prevent future flooding spilled out at the annual Hay River breakup preparation meeting last Thursday.

More than 70 Old Town and West Channel residents packed into the Vale Island fire training school to hear Emergency Measures Operation plans should a flood occur and to get updated on the latest ice thickness and snowpack conditions.

Last year a flood caused more than $1 million damages to Hay River and Hay River Reserve.

Deputy mayor Mike Maher told residents regular updates on water levels would be available on the fire department's website, and said the community hall will be the reception area for anyone evacuated off the island or needing assistance in the event of a flood.

Talk quickly turned to what the various levels of government were doing to safeguard Vale Island from flooding in the future.

Alex Morin said he was tired of hearing the stock "next year" response to the question.

With federal government ministers pledging compensation residents affected by flooding in Manitoba's Red River and recent and the consideration of protective measures in flood-prone areas in that province, Morin wondered what Hay River was doing to get the ear of government officials.

"I wish our political leaders here were like that," said Warren Gibb. "Giving us help, not attitude."

Gibb spoke on the matter for some time, stating the ice could be blasted to allow a place for the water and ice to flow instead of having it jam and cause flooding.

Red McBryan, a local flood expert, said it's not like the good old days when you could just blast out the ridge or the ice.

He said nowadays you have to get the blessing from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and it seems "the suckers in the lake are a lot more important than the suckers on the shore," he said.

Some felt their concerns were falling on deaf ears without mayor Jean-Marc Miltenberger or Hay River North MLA Paul Delorey in attendance.

As for this year's break-up, McBryan said there was three feet of ice down by the Chamber of Commerce corner, four feet by the sinker lift, three-and-a-half at the mouth of the river and five feet on the lake.

He said there was 20 inches of snow at Meander River, and said there was more snow than the last 15-year average.

"We got so damn much coming down and so much ice to break through, we don't know what's going to happen," he said.

He cautioned island residents if they have anything in their yard, they should bring it indoors or move it to a safe place.

"You could have water on the island this spring," he said.

"Five feet of ice is a hell of a lot to go through."

He said with the 1963 flood - the benchmark flood in town history - the lake had about six feet of ice.

McBryan said breakup would occur sometime in the first week of May - perhaps May 6.

Maher said a flood mitigation committee was in the works to look at preventative measures for future flooding - after this spring's breakup.