Graeme S | 06-20-2013 01:11 PM | More details: Calgary communities evacuated as flooding prompts state of emergency | CTV News (video in link) Quote:
Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for six Calgary communities along the Elbow River, as parts of southwestern Alberta face rising river waters and prepare for the possibility of more rain to come.
Residents in Mission, Elbow Park, Stanley Park, Roxboro, Rideau and Discovery Ridge are being evacuated immediately, the city said in a statement released Thursday afternoon. “Residents are encouraged to find shelter with family or friends for the next 72 hours minimum,” the statement said.
Reception centres have been set up for residents who can’t find alternate accommodations at the Southland Leisure Centre and the Acadia Recreation Complex. Members of the Calgary Police Service and the Calgary Fire Department will be going door to door in the affected communities to notify residents of the evacuation order. As well, Calgary Transit is on standby to help residents who cannot leave on their own.
Residents in the evacuated communities will not be allowed back after 3 p.m. Thursday, the statement said. Calgary is one of several Alberta communities to issue a state of emergency as surging waters grip the region.
Environment Canada has issued a rainfall warning for parts of southwestern Alberta, forecasting up to 100 millimetres of rain in the next two days.
During a news conference Thursday morning, Director of Calgary Emergency Management Agency Bruce Burrell said current data indicates the flow rate will likely exceed the rate reached during the floods of June 2005.
Calgarians are being warned to stay away from river banks and creeks and move their valuables to higher levels in their homes. Officials said during the news conference that the city’s drinking water is unaffected by the flooding.
Residents are encouraged to continue checking the city’s website and Twitter account for updates on the evacuations.
Search underway for 2 missing adults
Earlier on Thursday a search was launched for two people believed to have been swept into a river south of Calgary.
Cam Heke, of the STARS air ambulance agency, said the agency received reports of the missing adults after their trailer went into the Highwood River, south of the town of Black Diamond.
Crews did an aerial search of the area for about 40 minutes before returning to Calgary to refuel, he said.
He said STARS has a number of other calls to attend to, including a medical emergency near Rocky Mountain House.
Communities face critical alerts
As of 1 p.m. local time, the following Alberta communities were facing critical alerts:
Turner Valley, Hazardous Materials Alert: Residents are being warned of the release of sour gas from a pipeline containing around one per cent hydrogen sulphide. Residents have been instructed to stay indoors and prepare for a possible evacuation. Alberta Energy Regulator staff are on site and continue to work to contain the leak.
Lethbridge County, Flash Flood Alert: An evacuation order has been issued for residents living in the Oldman River valley. An evacuee reception centre has been set up at the County Administration building.
High River, High Water Alert and Flash Flood Alert: Residents are directed to go to the emergency evacuation centres at Highwood High School and the Tom Horneker Recreation Centre in Nanton.
Black Diamond, Overland Flooding Alert: Due to localized flooding, residents west of 1st St SW are being evacuated to the reception centre at Oilfields Arena. Residents are asked to conserve water.
Municipal district of Foothills No. 31, Flash Flood Alert: A mandatory evacuation has been issued for Foothills residents who live close to rivers, creeks and streams in the region. Residents are advised to seek shelter, as there is a risk of being swept away in the current.
Residents can check the Alberta Emergency Alert website for updates.
State of emergency in Canmore
In Canmore, about an hour’s drive west of Calgary, residents have been forced to leave their homes and others have been put on notice to prepare for a possible evacuation as a torrential downpour hit the town. An emergency centre has been established for residents at the local civic centre.
The power is out in various locations across Canmore and authorities say the rain has caused Cougar Creek to overflow and flood Highway 1A. As a result, traffic on the highway has been closed at Cougar Creek in both directions. The Trans-Canada Highway has also been closed at Cougar Creek.
Town spokesperson Sally Caudill said a number of motorists had to be rescued by helicopter overnight due to the floodwaters.
"We had about 20 or so people on the highway ... who got stuck ... (when) water covered the highway in two places, so we used a helicopter to get those folks out,” she said.
Authorities are also concerned that a pedestrian bridge over the creek is at risk of falling. Video and photos from the scene showed the rising creek waters gushing under the bridge.
The town’s website advises all residents to stay away from the creek, as its banks are unstable. A mudslide has reportedly shut down all traffic on Highway 1 about 40 kilometres east of the town. The RCMP is now turning all traffic in the area around and said the closure could last for several hours. Two other mudslides have also cut off traffic in other locations: one on Highway 40 and another near Banff. All public schools in Canmore and neighbouring Banff have been closed, authorities said.
| Flood waters lead to mandatory evacuation order in low-lying areas of Calgary Quote:
Residents in low-lying areas of Calgary are being told to leave their homes as flood waters rise.
Officials are going door to door in six communities to order people out and assist them to higher ground.
Residents are being warned they could be out for at least three days.
Calgary and most of southern Alberta are being hammered by rain that has washed-out roads and bridges, caused mudslides and closed major highways.
The affected Calgary communities are: Mission, Stanley Park, Elbow Park, Roxboro, Rideau and Discovery Ridge.
| Calgary braces for flooding, orders communities evacuated - Canada - CBC News (video in link) Quote:
Residents in several low-lying communities in Calgary have been ordered to leave their homes due to heavy rains, floods and the potential of high river flows.
Evacuations from areas along the Elbow River were ordered for six communities: Mission, Elbow Park, Stanley Park, Roxboro, Rideau and Discovery Ridge. Those areas are being evacuated immediately, with Calgary police going door to door telling people to leave.
Residents are being encouraged to find shelter with family or friends for the next 72 hours minimum. Reception centres have been set up for those who cannot find places to go.
City officials have warned that the magnitude of the flood could be worse than that of 2005.
A state of emergency has been declared in Calgary and several other communities in Alberta .
Calgary activated the city's municipal emergency plan late Thursday morning, in anticipation of the heavy flows in the Elbow and Bow rivers reaching the city.
The city also opened its Emergency Operations Centre, where key personnel from city business units and external groups such as Enmax, Atco and Alberta Health Services gather to support front-line responders. It serves as the city's multi-agency command centre for large-scale emergencies.
The decision to launch the centre was made based on the potential severity of incoming high river flows in combination with expected heavy rainfall.
The city has begun to implement its flood response plans and is deploying sandbags and temporary dams at key locations.
In Longview, Alta., about 85 kilometres south of Calgary, near Longview, the RCMP searched for two adults in the rain-swelled Highwood River after their trailer became submerged.
State of emergency declared in Canmore
Meanwhile, heavy rain also prompted officials in the mountain town of Canmore, about 100 kilometres west of Calgary, to declare a local state of emergency after the banks of a creek that runs through the community became unstable.
About 40 homes were evacuated at 2 a.m. MT on Thursday when the banks of Cougar Creek were deemed unstable, Canmore Mayor John Borrowman said.
“The situation is actually bad and getting worse,” he said. “Now some of the smaller creeks are starting to flood.”
The evacuees were taken in at the town’s civic centre and at two local hotels.
Other residents are being alerted to be ready to move if necessary.
High River, about 70 kilometres south of Calgary, also declared a state of emergency early Thursday morning after the Highwood River started overflowing its banks.
The hamlet of Bragg Creek, 44 kilometres west of Calgary on the edge of Kananaskis Country, is also in a state of emergency as the Elbow River surges over its banks.
Just downstream, residents of the townsite of Redwood Meadows were told they should leave their homes and use northbound Highway 22 to get out of the area. Townsite administration manager Pat Evans said the water is higher than it was during the last big flood in 1995.
In southwest Alberta, parts of the Crowsnest Pass are being evacuated because of high water levels.
Sour gas well rupture
In Turner Valley, southwest of Calgary, a sour gas wellhead ruptured at the same time as the town dealt with fast-rising flood waters in the Sheep River.
Turner Valley Coun. Barry Williamson said the pipeline was struck by river debris, adding that an evacuation was ordered for residences in the area.
The rupture caused a release of sour gas containing hydrogen sulfide (H2S) — a colourless, flammable gas that smells like rotten eggs — but officials have said the risk is now contained. Air quality monitoring at the point of the rupture isn't detecting dangerous sour gas levels.
|
Shit is getting crazy. |