Big Point on Lake Manitoba was an idyllic spot

Before the flood of 2011, Big Point Manitoba was an idyllic spot.  Homes, lawns and gardens were immaculately looked after.  The beach was amazing.  It was an incredible place to be.  The love and care with which people looked after their properties was amazing. Today, it is a tragedy.

On Sunday, I visited Big Point.  In the photo above, I am with Dee Dee Armstrong (on my left), and with Lydia Jonasson (on my right).  We looked over the site together.  Where there had been big beautiful trees, many of these are uprooted and on their side.  Where there had been beautiful lawns, these, together with trailers and all sorts of other things are now buried in sand (photo below).  Where there had been incredible homes, now almost all are wrecked (bottom photo).  It was enough to make me cry.

It is time for fairness and for responsible help and treatment for those who have been so badly affected:  This morning, I received the letter below.   Similar situations are occurring all over Lake Manitoba.  It is a letter worth reading.

• • I will not be able to attend the social as Friday morning I have an appointment to appeal the assessment the municipality has made to my families cottage.I know that after that appointment it will be a very hard day for my family .
    A report I read from the municipality Ends with " there is no evidence of buildings existence" that is because after a week of sandbagging our neighbors homes and cottages and ours , that first storm in May completely washed away our family cabin- it had stood there for 45 years. Now every so often a picture of the treehouse my father and brother built for my children is in the free press - it is all that is left on my parents land . I will need to take my parents out to see our lot, but I am scared - I cannot imagine seeing their faces see the emptiness that remains of what they worked so hard for . Of all the hours, days, summers we were there , to see it gone . Our cabin, our lake was not a luxury - we know and appreciate how lucky we are to have had it- but it became a part of us- looking at past lake pictures used to bring smiles and laughter and now heart break ,every smile turns to tears . My 5 year is still planning his summer as usual at papa 's - my dad finally retired, it was supposed to be the year he could finally enjoy all summer at the cabin he built , with his own hands , in the past it was 2 weeks in the summer and weekends as he worked so hard to afford us this haven, now he has nothing to go to . I cannot imagine the pain this must bring him , at least he is kept busy fighting for fair treatment but he should not have to, my uncles and aunts and cousins should not have to fight this fight it is adding insult to injury, the toll this has taken on all of us mentally I cannot begin to tally, none of us are functioning quite like we were before this flood , we are tired and weakened and are getting the run around and it seems the beat down. Please continue to keep this in the news , but also please please try and make the government accountable. Thank you for your time.
    
    For the Premier's response to my questions on April 23, see http://jongerrardsessionblog.ca/?page_id=15