Heavy Rains in Southern Alberta force mandatory evacuations

My nephew was just evacuated from his downtown Calgary apartment, was in chest deep water. My brother says they are expecting another 4 feet of rain in the next 24 hours. This is an article about the Calgary floods. Just thought I'd post. CanadaHeavy rains in southern Alberta force mandatory evacuations in areas of Calgary and surroundingsFacebook | Twitter | Email | InstapaperCanadian Press and Jen GersonThursday, Jun. 20, 2013Debris and water pours across the Trans-Canada Highway as Canmore struggles to deal with massive flooding Thursday morning (June 20). Craig Douce, Rocky Mountain OutlookTorrential rains and widespread flooding throughout southern Alberta on Thursday washed out roads and bridges, sent residents scurrying for safety, and delivered up surreal scenes of cars, couches and refrigerators just floating away.The RCMP put out a call for help to the Canadian Armed Forces, which sent in two helicopters and a Hercules aircraft to help extract people stranded by water.Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement saying the federal government would offer “any and all possible assistance to the Province of Alberta in response to the situation.”Ron MacDonald surveyed the waters of the Elbow River rising quickly in front of his home in Calgary’s Mission neighbourhood on Thursday, a storm drain disappearing, inch by inch, under the muddy brown current.“I’ve been here 23 years and I’ve never flooded, but my neighbours have. It could be worse than the last flood,” said Mr. MacDonald, one of thousands of residents currently under mandatory evacuation order, as the city prepared on Thursday night for water levels that have not been recorded in decades.Officials said as many as 100,000 people in low-lying neighbourhoods could be forced from their homes, an evacuation that would take place in stages over the next few days. Residents may not be able to return to their homes for up to one week, officials said. Up to date evacuation orders can be found here.“Is this going to be a very significant event in the City of Calgary? Absolutely,” said Bruce Burrell, director of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency.The Bow River Basin was battered with up to 100 mm of rain and he said water levels aren’t expected to subside until Saturday afternoon. Officials issued a flood warning for the Bow River and parts of the Elbow River.Peace bridge in Calgary, Alta. Jeff Lewis / Financial PostEnvironment Canada issued a rainfall warning for affected areas, estimating as much as 100 millimetres more rain could fall in the next two days.“Depending on the extent of flooding we experience overnight, there may be areas of the city where people are not going to be able to get into until the weekend,” he told a news conference.Truckload of sandbags on Memorial Dr #yycfloodhttp://t.co/nvqLhs35fO—Jeff Lewis (@JeffALewis) June 21, 2013The Canadian Armed Forces were called in to give assistance to flooded areas of southern Alberta.Calgarians meandered around the Elbow river as water levels rose, taking camera-phone pictures of both the rapids and of the 8-foot high dirt berm under construction between the rapids and a local grocery store.You know it's not bad yet because people are still curious. #yyc #abflood http://t.co/tivIIaPyWo—Jen Gerson (@jengerson) June 21, 2013A flooded Sunnyside street corner in Calgary where a mandatory evacuation is underway. Jeff Lewis / Financial Post“The farther you are down the river, the easier it is to see it coming,” said Doug Griffiths, Alberta’s minister of municipal affairs. “Every expert I’ve talked to says there’s no way to predict [something that was] that fast, that much of a flood.”The military has been asked to assist, but have not yet conducted any rescue operations. They may help the government move equipment such as a diesel pump for the hospital in Canmore and zodiacs, he said.Mr. Griffiths also noted the increasing severity of Alberta’s weather.“The climate is changing. The climate has been changing for a long time,” Mr. Griffiths said. “We’re in a wet cycle again…whether that’s a permanent situation or cyclical situation, I don’t know.”Kevan Yaets swims after his cat Momo to safety as the flood waters sweep him downstream and submerge the cab in High River, Alberta on June 20, 2013 after the Highwood River overflowed its banks. Hundreds of people have been evacuated with volunteers and emergency crews helping to aid stranded residents. JORDAN VERLAGE / CPPolice expanded their evacuation order to cover twenty neighbourhoods on Thursday night, asking residents to mark their homes with an “X” to notify authorities they had left.But at a late evening news conference, deputy police chief Trevor Daroux admitted some people were refusing to leave their homes.Loverna Hood, who lives with her husband in a house that backs directly on the Elbow river, said the pair was preparing to stay with her in-laws. Like other homes, her front door handle was marked with yellow police tape.“They told us we had one hour so we just moved everything up from the basement,” she said. “Three of them came here and…said there was just going to be all water everywhere.”Mike Lefurgey tries to move a car further away from the buildings from the rising flood waters of the Highwood River in High Rver on June 20, 2013. Lorraine Hjalte / Postmedia NewsMs. Hood said she felt calm about the evacuation order.“I’m just waiting for the tornado. We come from Papua new Guinea, so we’re used to earthquakes, cyclones,” she said. “In the beginning we were really calm, now, though, we thought we better get the freezer up here or the meat will spoil.”Across Southern Alberta, heavy rains washed out roads, led to mass evacuations, forced homeowners onto rooftops and swept two people inside a mobile home into a rain-swollen river on Thursday.A house was washed away and slammed into a bridge along Bragg Creek:A STARS air ambulance spokesman said a man and a woman went into the Highwood River near Black Diamond, southwest of Calgary. The man was rescued within a few hours.“One female adult had been stranded on a trailer and also a second adult male had been stranded on a nearby flatbed,” said Cam Heke.“We did respond to the area. The female adult was no longer on the trailer and was missing. We did conduct a search along the river and we were unable to locate that missing person.“However, the male adult was on the trailer and local emergency services with another helicopter organization … were able to rescue that man.”High River Mounties were asking that people with motorboats help rescue at least a dozen stranded homeowners. Virtually the entire town was under water.If you own a marine boat of some kind and can help High River RCMP, please contact them as soon as possible. #YYC 403-652-2357—Calgary Police (@CalgaryPolice) June 20, 2013“We have people on their rooftops that were unable to evacuate fast enough,” said RCMP Sgt. Patricia Neely.The Calgary Herald reported that thousands of homes have been flooded in High River and at least 150 people have had to be rescued from their rooftops.Residents were under a mandatory evacuation order by late Thursday and the water trapped people in their cars and forced others to flee to the rooftops of their homes. Streets became tributaries, swamping vehicles.Randy Livie said he came into town to help a friend and almost didn’t get out.“It was over my hood,” he said. “There was a jeep in front of me and he stalled out.“There was a minivan that went in front of me. He stalled out. This other car he came in and he started floating away — he bailed out. He had crutches. A truck pulled up and helped him out. It’s just wild down there.”Residents in a seniors care facility were told to leave. Even the original evacuation centre had to be moved as floodwaters threatened.“It’s bad,” said High River spokeswoman Joan Botkin.Alberta Health Services said the emergency department in High River had been closed, though patients already in the hospital were safe and being cared for.Bragg Creek was also put under an evacuation order with news footage showing deep water rushing through homes and across the town’s parking lot and Western-facade stores.The city of Calgary issued mandatory evacuations for twenty-two neighbourhoods: Beltline, Bonnybrook, Bowness, Bridgeland Industrial Area, Chinatown/Eau Claire, Cliff Bungalow, Deer Run, Discovery Ridge, Downtown/East Village, Elbow Park, Erlton, Inglewood, Hillhurst, Mission, Montgomery, Quarry Park, Rideau, Riverbend, Riverdale, Roxboro, Stanley Park/Elboya, Sunnyside, Victoria Park, Westmount and Windsor Park.The city has set up several evacuation centres for residents who are not able to stay with friends or family: Southland Leisure Centre (2000 Southland Drive S.W.), Acadia Recreation Complex (240 90th Ave. S.E.), Centre Street Church (3900 2nd Street N.E.), Village Square Leisure Centre (2623 56th Street N.E.) and South Fish Creek Recreation Centre (333 Shawville Blvd. S.E.)Residents can take their pets to the Animal Service Centre (2201 Portland Street S.E.) or the Calgary Humane Society (4455 110th Ave S.E.) if they need accomodation for them.Officials went door-to-door telling people to leave and residents were advised to go home and pack vital items — like prescription medications and identification — as they wern’t be permitted to access those neighbourhoods after 3 p.m. local time. Utilities were also shut off to homes in regions expected to flood.As her teenaged children moved suitcases full of belongings into the car, Nancy Laird said she first started noticing the swelling river in her backyard on Thursday morning.“As the weather started changing elsewhere, you started to realize the potential impacts. I was just downtown, doing my thing, when I got a text from our children…. So I was in the middle of a meeting and I got called out and thought I should get home to see what’s going on.”City of Calgary worker Jim Hawkins carried sandbags as city workers started to sandbag and build a berm along Elbow Drive at 25th Street SW on June 20, 2013 as the Elbow River began to rise following heavy rains. A mandatory evacuation alert was issued for the communities around the Elbow River. Colleen De Neve / Postmedia News fileLike most Calgarians, she expects to stay with friends and family rather than at one of the designated shelters in the city.Even the Calgary Zoo was evacuated — of people — Thursday afternoon. The zoo located on St. George’s Island shut down Thursday afternoon and said it would also be closed Friday.‘‘Our animals will be moving to higher ground and sheltered enclosures,’’ said the zoo’s Larissa Mark.“Rest assured Animal Care are working closely with our facilities team to ensure the safety of all of our animals during this period of flood risk and are following our established emergency protocols,” the zoo said on its website.@l_stone I think we're talking people. No one is building an ark yet.—Tony Seskus (@TonyHerald) June 20, 2013City officials said they expected to issue more evacuation orders as the evening wore on.Peak water levels were not expected to reach Calgary until between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Friday, with officials warning residents to expect to stay away from their homes for at least 72 hours.10th Street bridge in Calgary, Alta. Jeff Lewis / Financial PostThe last time Calgary braced itself for a flood this bad was in 2005, when rising river water backed up sewers and basements, damaging 40,000 homes.Highways and large tracts of road south and west of Calgary were completely shut down for much of the day, with police reporting mudslides, water and impassable conditions.The Alberta Energy Regulator reported flooding may have caused a sour gas leak near Turner Valley. The flow of the potentially deadly gas was turned off, but late Thursday a small amount was still seeping into floodwaters submerging the line. The Alberta Energy Regulator said public safety was not threatened.The toxic leak caused evacuations and confined other residents to their homes on Thursday. Residents of the southern Alberta town were advised to stay in their homes and keep the windows closed after a pipeline leaked poisonous hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere.Submerged cars sits in the flood waters in High River, Alta. on June 20, 2013 after the Highwood River overflowed its banks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jordan Verlage“The town of Turner Valley has evacuated some residents and has put others under shelter-in-place as a precautionary measure,” said Cara Tobin of the Alberta Energy Regulator.About 150 people were forced to leave the town of about 2,500, said RCMP Sgt. Patricia Neely.The pipe is owned by Calgary-based Legacy Oil and Gas. Tobin said the leaking gas is about one per cent hydrogen sulphideA resident is comforted by rescuers as she clutches her dog after being retrieved from the flood waters in High River, Alta. on June 20, 2013 after the Highwood River overflowed its banks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jordan Verlage“Any amount of hydrogen sulphide is a concern,” said Tobin, who added the pipeline’s owners has air monitors at the scene.“The company hasn’t detected any dangerous levels of H2S at the break point, but our air monitoring unit is on site and will confirm that data.”An Alberta Emergency Alert was issued Thursday morning indicating a pipeline had ruptured in the community.The alert called the rupture potentially life-threatening and urged people to move indoors and prepare for a possible evacuation.Sour gas is colourless, natural gas that smells like rotten eggs. It contains hydrogen sulphide and is extremely toxic even in small amounts.Calgary’s deputy mayor, Richard Pootmans, admitted that he was taken aback by the speed at which the waters were advancing.Residents wade through flood waters after an evacuation order following heavy rains caused flooding, closed roads, and forced evacuation in High River, Alta., Thursday, June 20, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh“This is happening faster than I think anyone expected it would,” he said. “We were up at 8:30 and were were called down to get advance notice that the [Emergency Operations Centre] was being mobilized and that we should be on alert, and I think it was half an hour later that we were asked to go to the EOC.”Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi returned early from a trip to Ottawa and Toronto to monitor the emergency.“The worst has not yet come,” Mr. Nenshi told the CBC. The mayor urged Calgary residents to stay away from downtown on Friday.“It’s shaping up to be more significant than 2005,” said Dan Limacher, Calgary’s director of water services. “You have to go back quite a long ways in history to find a flow on the Elbow River of this magnitude, to the early ‘50s, and before then, into the ‘30s. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a flow like this on the Elbow River.”If you have friends and family being evacuated, please take them in tonight. Thank you.—Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) June 21, 2013A front end loader carries residents after they were rescued from the flood waters in High River, Alta. on June 20, 2013 after the Highwood River overflowed its banks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jordan VerlageAmid the chaos and turmoil of a full-scale disaster, a social-media-savvy Calgary police constable stepped in to save the day.As Calgary was coping with mass evacuations caused by rain-induced flooding Thursday, the city’s police department was doing its best to keep the public informed with non-stop tweets.But late in the day, Twitter informed the department it had exceeded its daily allotment of tweets and had frozen the account.A flooded Sunnyside street corner in Calgary where a mandatory evacuation is underway. Jeff Lewis / Financial PostThat’s when Const. Jeremy Shaw of the Digital Communications Unit stepped up, taking over Twitter chores for the entire department.He spread the word on evacuations and notifications, aided by the word being spread by followers and supporters such as the Saskatoon police department.Before long, Twitter realized the problem error and restored the police department’s account.@mariaselezneva Please see here for up to date maps: calgarycitynews.com—Cst. Jeremy Shaw (@CstShaw) June 21, 2013The heavy rains created flashpoints of chaos from north of Calgary south to Lethbridge and west to the Rocky Mountain parks. The province reported 12 communities were under states of emergency.A mandatory evacuation order was issued for several areas in the town of High River, 40 km southeast of Calgary, as the Highwood River rose. Everyone was told to find higher ground.Several vehicles were caught in fast rising waters in High River, Alberta. Rick Donkers, Calgary HeraldDanielle Smith, a Highwood resident and Wildrose Opposition leader in the legislature, said she knew the town was in trouble Thursday morning when water spilled over the riverbanks and down the streets.Smith said she and other residents frantically sandbagged around the hospital but could not keep water from rushing past the doors, forcing patients to higher floors.“I’ve been talking to people who have been here for 35 years or more who saw the 2005 flood, who saw the 1995 flood and say this is way worse,” Smith told QR77 News in Calgary.Residents of a High River seniors residence were told to leave. Even the original evacuation centre had to be moved as floodwaters threatened.Work crews were digging to Highway 22 in Black Diamond in hopes of getting the water to go back into the Sheep River on June 20, 2012 as major flooding hit the area after a heavy rain fall Lorraine Hjalte/ Calgary Herald“It’s bad,” said High River spokeswoman Joan Botkin.She said forecasters were predicting up to another 40 millimetres of rain Thursday evening. That would push the river to crest at about 1,270 cubic metres a second.“We encounter flooding at around 210 cubic metres,” Botkin said.Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for the affected areas, estimating as much as 100 millimetres more rain could fall in the next two days.The province reported that 12 communities were under states of emergency.A front end loader was being used to rescue people from the rising flood waters of the Highwood River in High Rver on June 20, 2013. Lorraine Hjalte / Postmedia NewsPremier Alison Redford was returning home to Alberta from a conference in New York.“I plan to visit the affected areas as soon as possible on Friday to see the situation firsthand and to thank those who have been working so hard at keeping everyone safe,” she said in a news releaseHeading back to Alberta; will be visiting the affected areas as soon as I can when I get home #abflood#ableg—Alison Redford (@Premier_Redford) June 20, 2013Premier Alison Redford’s full statement on today’s flooding emergencies:“I’ve been following today’s events with great concern, and my heart goes out to the many Albertans who have been evacuated due to the floods that are affecting much of Southern and Central Alberta today. I strongly encourage everyone to follow the public safety orders of their municipalities. If you are being ordered to evacuate, please do so for your own safety.My deepest thanks to all the volunteers, and municipal and provincial officials who have been coordinating emergency operations efforts, both on the ground and in the emergency operations centre. I know the Alberta Emergency Management Agency is coordinating the government’s response and officials will be working around the clock to manage the situation and keep Albertans safe.“I plan to visit the affected areas as soon as possible on Friday to see the situation first hand and to thank those who have been working so hard at keeping every one safe.”In the mountain parks, mudslides forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway, isolating Banff and Canmore. Campers at Two Jack Lakeside campground were moved to higher ground.Highways north and south of Banff were also shut down. Later in the evening, the Trans-Canada at the Norquay interchange was opened to single-lane westbound traffic to Lake Louise as well as Field and Golden in B.C.The impact was definitely being felt in British Columbia, where highways around New Denver, Kaslo and Radium were closed due to washouts.In Canmore, some homeowners saw the raging creek eat away half their backyards, leaving behind crumbling wooden stairwells and twisted fences jutting out over torrents of water.“We’re safe. We’re dry. We’re helping each other out,” said Wade Graham, a resident of the mountain town of Canmore, west of Calgary.“I woke up at about three o’clock in morning to the sound of this kind of rumbling and it was the creek,” said Wade Graham, a resident of the mountain town of Canmore, west of Calgary.“At first it was just intense, pretty powerful, amazing thing to watch. As daylight came, it just got bigger and bigger and wider and wider, and it’s still getting bigger and bigger and wider and wider.“All you can hear is like boulders and trees. I watched a refrigerator go by, I watched a shed go by, I watched couches go by. It’s insane.”Parks Canada spokeswoman Michelle Macullo said people caught inside the park didn’t really have many options.“Right now, if people are in Canmore they can get to Banff. People from Banff can get to Canmore,” she said. “We just have to wait to see what the weather presents.”Canmore spokeswoman Sally Caudill said motorists were trapped overnight Wednesday by water spilling over the Trans-Canada and had to be rescued by helicopter.Dave Welke waits to get rescued from his home in High Rver on June 20, 2013 as the flood waters rise. Lorraine Hjalte / Postmedia NewsA front end loader was being used to rescue people from the rising flood waters of the Highwood River in High Rver on June 20, 2013. Lorraine Hjalte / Postmedia NewsA view from Cougar CreekThe town of Nanton, south of High River, said it was preparing to receive High River evacuees.Near High River, water threatened roads and homes and forced residents to flee in the communities of Black Diamond and Turner Valley along what is known as the Cowboy Trail in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.Barry Williamson, a councillor in Turner Valley, said that community was in danger of being cut off. Traffic was being restricted on the two bridges out of town as water levels crept within a metre of the their decks. The third road out is in a flood-prone area.Two small subdivisions, home to about 50 people, were being evacuated, he said.Water levels of the Elbow river in Calgary continue to rise. Officials have warned homes in low lying areas to be prepared to evacuate. Dirt trucks lined up along the closed Elbow Dr. on Thursday afternoon build a levy. Jen Gerson/National PostIn Lethbridge, a few neighbourhoods were evacuated and city officials were urging parents to pick up their children early from school. They expected the Oldman River would rise during the day and cut off travel across the city.In Crowsnest Pass and Okotoks, some residents were ordered out. In Sundre, 80 km northwest of Calgary, dozens of homes were under mandatory evacuation order along both sides of the swollen Red Deer River.Red Deer itself declared a state of emergency late Thursday following a flood warning that was issued upon receiving notice that Alberta Environment is to release a significant amount of water from the Dickson Dam.Water levels are expected to reach their maximum around noon on Friday.For those not familiar with Canmore, here's a before and after shot of the Trans-Canada HWY in Canmore:http://t.co/SqGAMsNDbp—Drew Goldsack (@Goldsack) June 20, 2013document.getElementById('wpcom-iframe-form-f562db53ce62d548812466d2ca9aa819').submit();Barry Williamson, a councillor in Turner Valley, said that community was in danger of being cut off as well. Traffic was being restricted on the two bridges out of town as water levels crept within a metre of the their decks. The third road out is in a flood-prone area.Two small subdivisions, home to about 50 people, were being evacuated, he said.“Go back to 2005, that was our 100-year flood here,” Williamson said. “This is looking to be higher than that in terms of the flow of the river and height of the rivers.”The pedestrian bridge still standing!! #canmore#flood http://t.co/Yd7TrXG2Uu—Wade Graham (@wgraham76) June 20, 2013Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement saying the federal government would offer “any and all possible assistance to the Province of Alberta in response to the situation.”Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s full statement:Our thoughts and prayers are with those families who have been affected by the serious flooding in Calgary and Southern Alberta.I want to assure Albertans that the federal government has offered any and all possible assistance to the Province of Alberta in response to the situation. Canadian Armed Forces assets, including a Cormorant and Griffon helicopter, have been deployed to the area to assist the Alberta Provincial Emergency team with rescue and evacuation efforts.We hope for a speedy end to the flooding and return to safe conditions as soon as possible. We remain ready to provide additional assistance if requested by provincial authorities.[offsite content] https:...#canmore cougar creek major flooding. http://t.co/ZeponZKorz—(@canmorelife) June 20, 2013FROM THE GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA: Rain and weather alerts in the provinceCommunities in southern Alberta are experiencing extreme rainfall resulting in evacuations due to flooding. Find the emergency services and supports you need.Emergency informationAlberta Emergency AlertsAlerts are issued by the communities where a disaster or emergency is occurring, and provide information on the actions you need to take.River level advisoriesRainfall can cause water levels in rivers and streams to rise rapidly. Get the latest river level advisories, watches and warnings.Emergency preparednessIf an emergency happens in your community, it may take emergency workers some time to reach you. Be prepared to take care of yourself and your family for a minimum of 72 hours.Weather and climate dataBrowse over 10,000 maps of Alberta weather and climate related information, and access data from over 350 meteorological stations.Disaster recovery adviceAfter a flood, it’s hard to know where to start your clean-up. Take these steps to keep you and your family safe after the event.Insurance InformationThe Insurance Bureau of CanadaFor information on homeowners insurance.Agriculture Financial Services CorporationProvides farmers, agribusinesses and other small businesses loans, crop insurance and farm income disaster assistance.With files from National Post staff, Postmedia NewsPosted in: News Tags: Canada, Breaking, Canmore, WeatherMore on this StoryPictures and videos of massive flooding in Calgary, Canmore and southern Alberta'We were trapped': Semi-trucks stranded on southern Alberta highway as floodwaters advancedFacebook | Twitter | Email | InstapaperHome / News / Canada TopHomeFinancial PostNewsCanadaPoliticsWorldIsrael & The Middle EastTorontoGraphicsHoly PostPhotosEditors BlogNP TodayLottery ResultsCommentPersonal FinanceInvestingTechSportsArtsLifeHomesDrivingSubscribeMobile Version | Switch to Standard Version© 2013 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. 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