Hundreds of people were being evacuated from the northeastern Saskatchewan village of Cumberland House Thursday as a wave of water from the swollen Saskatchewan River descended on the region.

"That'll be 700 people gone after today," said Dale McAuley, the mayor of the village.

About 300 people left Thursday on the latest buses from Prince Albert, which is 250 kilometres to the southwest. They were bound for Nipawin, about 165 kilometres southwest of the village.

McAuley said he hopes he can convince the remaining 1,400 residents to leave before it's too late.

The water is not expected to crest until the weekend, but already ankle-deep water has spread across the only road leading into the community.

Swollen waters from the North and South Saskatchewan rivers have been moving east to converge at the Saskatchewan River. After those waters eventually crest, the flood levels are not expected to drop quickly.

Manitoba residents on high alert too

The problem is also making residents of northwestern Manitoba nervous.

On Wednesday, half a million sandbags were on their way to The Pas, which like Cumberland House is located on the Saskatchewan River. Town officials in The Pas expect the river's level to rise by about two metres, reaching its highest level since 1965.

"It's going to take another week or two to drop down," said Doug Johnson, a spokesman with the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority.

That's why the village of Cumberland House began preparing for the worst.

"There's going to be certain areas that are going to be under water if their projections are correct," McAuley said, adding at the very least he expects parts of the village and the nearby Cumberland House reserve to flood.

McAuley was also concerned that the road into the community could wash out.

Village councillors were preparing to declare a state of emergency to help them plan for a worst-case-scenario, the mayor said.

McAuley said he plans to stay put for the time being, though.

"The chief and I will be the last ones to leave the community," he said.

Martin to tour flood zones in Alberta

Cumberland House is the latest western community to brace for damage from an extremely wet spring.

Flooding in southern Alberta over the past several weeks caused damage with an estimated cost of $200 million.

On Friday, Prime Minister Paul Martin is scheduled to tour parts of Calgary, High River and Okotoks affected by flooding.

Alberta Premier Ralph Klein has said he expects the federal government to share the cost of flood compensation.