Post by northernexpat on Jun 22, 2013 3:29:43 GMT -5
At least 100,000 Albertans displaced, large areas of Calgary's downtown evacuated
Three bodies have been discovered in a river near High River, Alta., during the province's worst flooding in decades, say the RCMP.
Floodwaters have caused massive disruptions in Calgary, as well as several other southern Alberta communities, including Canmore and High River.
"We did locate two people — one adult male and one adult female. Both have been recovered from the water," RCMP Sgt. Patricia Neely told CBC's Ian Hanomansing Friday evening.
"We have also located what is believed to be a third adult; however, due to the dangerous surroundings around this person, we have not yet been able to recover that person."
The identities of the victims have not been released.
As Albertans faced more rain Friday, the downpour has left hundreds of homes semi-submerged, lifted railroad tracks and inundated the Calgary Stampede grounds.
At least 100,000 Albertans, including about 75,000 Calgarians, have been forced out of their homes and large areas of Calgary's downtown core were being evacuated Friday afternoon.
Earlier Friday, four people were feared dead from the floods in High River, believed to be one of the areas hardest hit by the flooding.
Two men were seen floating apparently lifeless in Highwood River, but it's not clear that those were the bodies that have been recovered.
A woman and her camper were swept away in the Longview area of Highwood River. She has not been seen since.
A third man was seen falling from a canoe on the Highwood River, and it is unclear if he was able to get back into his canoe or make it to shore.It is unclear if any of these are the bodies discovered in the late afternoon Friday by the RCMP, though police have said the woman remains unaccounted for. High River is about 60 kilometres south of Calgary
Mass evacuations throughout Alberta
The flooding has resulted in mass evacuations throughout Calgary and southern areas of the province.
Banff issued evacuation orders for the Rocky Mountain Housing Co-operative Phase 2 after deeming it unsafe. Organizers of the inaugural Banff Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, cancelled the event.
Lethbridge and Medicine Hat declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon.
In Medicine Hat, residents in low-lying areas were told to leave their homes along the river. The mandatory evacuation is expected to include about 3,800 homes and 10,000 residents.
Edmonton and the town of Devon declared a flood watch, which is the lowest level of flood-related warning, early Friday evening. Water levels in the North Saskatchewan River could rise by 3½ metres.
High River looks 'like a lake'
In High River, officials were "about to start the door-to-door operation," Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon.
"We've got a number of search and rescue helicopters in town," she told CBC's Rosemary Barton.
Search officials were going to go door-to-door to make sure they had identified people in need of assistance, Smith said, noting that there are a lot of senior citizens in High River.
The next step would be recovery, Smith said. The lengthy list of tasks include making sure the water and sewage systems are working, along with gas and electricity.
"And then they'll start the hard process of getting people back into the town, but it's going to take a number of days before we can get to that point," she said.
Smith said on Thursday, it was "like a lake" in High River. "It was unbelievable to see how much water had spread over the town."
She said about three-quarters of the town had been "massively impacted" by water damage, saying some homes would need to be condemned.
"When you have this amount of damage, we're not talking in terms of weeks or months," Smith said. "This is probably going to take two to three years before everybody is able to get back in their homes and also have all of the repairs done so we can get everything back to normal."
Three bodies have been discovered in a river near High River, Alta., during the province's worst flooding in decades, say the RCMP.
Floodwaters have caused massive disruptions in Calgary, as well as several other southern Alberta communities, including Canmore and High River.
"We did locate two people — one adult male and one adult female. Both have been recovered from the water," RCMP Sgt. Patricia Neely told CBC's Ian Hanomansing Friday evening.
"We have also located what is believed to be a third adult; however, due to the dangerous surroundings around this person, we have not yet been able to recover that person."
The identities of the victims have not been released.
As Albertans faced more rain Friday, the downpour has left hundreds of homes semi-submerged, lifted railroad tracks and inundated the Calgary Stampede grounds.
At least 100,000 Albertans, including about 75,000 Calgarians, have been forced out of their homes and large areas of Calgary's downtown core were being evacuated Friday afternoon.
Earlier Friday, four people were feared dead from the floods in High River, believed to be one of the areas hardest hit by the flooding.
Two men were seen floating apparently lifeless in Highwood River, but it's not clear that those were the bodies that have been recovered.
A woman and her camper were swept away in the Longview area of Highwood River. She has not been seen since.
A third man was seen falling from a canoe on the Highwood River, and it is unclear if he was able to get back into his canoe or make it to shore.It is unclear if any of these are the bodies discovered in the late afternoon Friday by the RCMP, though police have said the woman remains unaccounted for. High River is about 60 kilometres south of Calgary
Mass evacuations throughout Alberta
The flooding has resulted in mass evacuations throughout Calgary and southern areas of the province.
Banff issued evacuation orders for the Rocky Mountain Housing Co-operative Phase 2 after deeming it unsafe. Organizers of the inaugural Banff Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, cancelled the event.
Lethbridge and Medicine Hat declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon.
In Medicine Hat, residents in low-lying areas were told to leave their homes along the river. The mandatory evacuation is expected to include about 3,800 homes and 10,000 residents.
Edmonton and the town of Devon declared a flood watch, which is the lowest level of flood-related warning, early Friday evening. Water levels in the North Saskatchewan River could rise by 3½ metres.
High River looks 'like a lake'
In High River, officials were "about to start the door-to-door operation," Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon.
"We've got a number of search and rescue helicopters in town," she told CBC's Rosemary Barton.
Search officials were going to go door-to-door to make sure they had identified people in need of assistance, Smith said, noting that there are a lot of senior citizens in High River.
The next step would be recovery, Smith said. The lengthy list of tasks include making sure the water and sewage systems are working, along with gas and electricity.
"And then they'll start the hard process of getting people back into the town, but it's going to take a number of days before we can get to that point," she said.
Smith said on Thursday, it was "like a lake" in High River. "It was unbelievable to see how much water had spread over the town."
She said about three-quarters of the town had been "massively impacted" by water damage, saying some homes would need to be condemned.
"When you have this amount of damage, we're not talking in terms of weeks or months," Smith said. "This is probably going to take two to three years before everybody is able to get back in their homes and also have all of the repairs done so we can get everything back to normal."