Calgary floods - mass evacuations

PJ_Soul

I know there are members who live in and around Calgary - just wanted to say that I hope your homes and everything are okay! And also, sorry about all the damage in your city. :( Stay safe!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23000926

Authorities have ordered the evacuation of downtown Calgary as flooding has left swathes of the city underwater.

Torrential rain and floodwaters have washed away roads and bridges around Alberta's largest city and have caused landslides elsewhere in the province.

Both rivers that flow through Calgary, the Bow and Elbow, have flooded.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to tour flood-damaged areas later on Friday and has promised federal assistance.

The Elbow crested near the city earlier on Friday but Alberta Premier Alison Redford warned residents should be prepared for more flooding downstream.

Communities further south were under total evacuation orders; roughly half the homes in the town of High River were flooded.

While an estimated 230,000 people live and work in Calgary's downtown area, officials believed there would be few people to evacuate because many did not come into work on Friday.

Some 25 neighbourhoods in Calgary, a city of one million, had already been evacuated. An estimated 75,000 residents have been ordered out of their homes there.

The floods come after a rainy week in Alberta, capped by 4in (10cm) of downpour on Thursday.

Military helicopters rescued about 30 people off rooftops in the Calgary area. At least 350 soldiers are being dispatched to the flood zone, according to the defence minister's office.

The mountain resorts of Banff and Canmore were left isolated after the Trans-Canada Highway was closed.

One resident of Canmore said he awoke in the middle of the night to a "kind of rumbling" sound and realized it was the nearby creek.

"At first it was just intense, pretty powerful, amazing thing to watch," Wade Graham told the Associated Press.

"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."

"I watched a refrigerator go by. I watched a shed go by. I watched couches go by. It's insane," he added.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said about 1,500 people went to emergency shelters while the rest were staying with family or friends.

'An ocean'

Mr Nenshi warned that although the Elbow had crested, the city was not yet out of danger.

The Bow river, which Mr Nenshi said looked like "an ocean at the moment", is expected to remain at its current level for the next 12 hours.

Police have advised people against travelling downtown, public transportation has been shut, and schools are closed.

Officials said lions and tigers from the Calgary Zoo may need to be transferred to prisoner holding cells at the downtown courthouse. The Saddledome, home to Calgary's professional hockey team, is also flooded with water levels rising to the stadium's 10th row.

Calgary resident Marshall Strong told the BBC several of his family members' homes were flooded.

"There's just so much going on, it's insane," he said. "One farm that we went to had 60 cattle drowned in the fields.

"It is truly unbelievable what has happened in such a short time. Calgary is a strong city and we have held it together better then we imagined."

No deaths have been reported, although one woman swept away in a mobile home is still missing.

RKCNDY

Yes, I hope that all the people in the area are safe.

One of our PJ board members lives in the area, she's posting that the flood waters are up to the 14th row in the Calgary Saddledome. I was there on the PJ Canadian tour...the person I went on tour with, her family lives in the area, I wish them well, and hope they are safe.

guitar59

The amount of water around the city is unreal. Downtown is completely flooded, as the two rivers that run through Calgary have both flooded. The downtown core is built on a flood plain, but flooding like this hasn't occured before. Tons of roads are closed and getting around is brutal. The light rail transit trains are not operating, as the tunnels they use are flooded. The river is uprooting 60 year old trees and carrying them away like they are twigs. About half of the Saddledome is now full of water. They think the jumbotron is probably destroyed.

We are dry and safe, but know others who are evacuated. I have enough wine, but not sure if our beer stock is sufficent. We are good for food and water, as I am a little paranoid and always keep enough food for weeks in the house.

It is still raining, so officials don't know when it will end.

http://bizboxtv.com/calgary-flooding-20 ... res-video/

guitar59

Mr. Guitar has the news on, the streets downtown look like rivers. I hate watching stuff like this. I prefer to look out at my own unflooded neighbourhood. :(

wasa1971

I too am from Calgary, and have learned over the past few hours of friends who have been evacuated from the downtown core and surrounding areas. We are not directly affected thus far, and feel so fortunate for that. I'm sure once the rain has stopped and the waters recede, the magnitude of what has happened will really set in. This is an extremely resilient city, and know that everyone will pull together and support one another in this time of need as never seen before.

PJ_Soul

My Uncle is working and living there right now, and my cousin was visiting him - not sure if she managed to leave before this or not. The TransCanada is shut down apparently. Brutal. It sounds like it's the kind of flood where people are going to be safe unless they're idiots, but the damage is going to be terrible, and many people are losing their homes. Fuck. :(

PJ_Soul

Holy shit! Poor Calgary! I think it's actually got worse since these pic were taken.

whispering hands

Hope all are safe, sound, and found out there in Calgary!! Our thoughts and prayers are with you all!!

Too bad we couldn't dump all that excess water on our wildfires out here in Colorado!
Be safe.. Let us know you're ok when you are soonest able to!

Fifthelement

RKCNDY wrote:

Yes, I hope that all the people in the area are safe.

One of our PJ board members lives in the area, she's posting that the flood waters are up to the 14th row in the Calgary Saddledome. I was there on the PJ Canadian tour...the person I went on tour with, her family lives in the area, I wish them well, and hope they are safe.

Thanks for the well-wishes. They are safe and well.

What a mess though. My heart goes out to those who have lost so much I hope for a speedy recovery for the city.

whispering hands

Fifthelement wrote:

RKCNDY wrote:

Yes, I hope that all the people in the area are safe.

One of our PJ board members lives in the area, she's posting that the flood waters are up to the 14th row in the Calgary Saddledome. I was there on the PJ Canadian tour...the person I went on tour with, her family lives in the area, I wish them well, and hope they are safe.

Thanks for the well-wishes. They are safe and well.

What a mess though. My heart goes out to those who have lost so much I hope for a speedy recovery for the city.

Glad to hear this!

guitar59

The Saddledome is still flooded to the 10th row, the dressing rooms are flooded. The Calgary Stampede grounds are flooded and it is only 2 weeks until the Stampede and several big shows are to be held in the Saddledome. They are saying Stampede is still a go, but I am not sure how they will pull it off.
The sun is shining today and part of one community is being allowed home. Both rivers have peaked, so things should only start to improve. 100's of thousands are still evacuated and the downtown area is closed. The 2 rivers converge in the downtown area, and both spilled over land and caused the flooding.
What is really remarkable is that they have had to request that no more food and supplies be brought to the evacuation centers, they also don't need any more volunteers. The outpouring of generosity from people in Calgary is amazing.

Areas in the mountains and to the south of Calgary are worse off, as they were also hit hard by raging rivers. Really, all of south western Alberta is effected. The massive amount of water is still on its way downstream towards other cities.

Bathgate66

PJ_Soul wrote:

Holy shit! Poor Calgary! I think it's actually got worse since these pic were taken.

wow.
can totally relatre to these floods.


just read on FB

BREAKING NEWS: Reports from TSN are saying parts of the Calgary Saddledome, Home to the Calgary Flames has been ruined due to the Alberta Flooding.

According to several reports, the water is up to the 10th row of seats in the NHL arena while the dressing rooms are completely submerged and the Jumbotron and other equipment resting on the arena floor has been ruined.

Canadian Forces are deploying 1,200 troops to help in the worst-hit areas of Alberta, and as roughly 100,000 people were set for evacuation in Calgary alone.