A long-awaited but all-too-quick spring melt in central and northern Alberta is causing problems for municipalities and farmers. Alberta Emergency Alerts, a provincial government service, had 27 communities on its list of those affected by flooding as of April 30 and nine emergency alerts affecting Mackenzie and Woodlands counties, the Grande Prairie region and municipal […] Read more
Tag Archives Alberta flood
Excess water soaks Alberta
ENCHANT, Alta. — The worst of the overland flooding in southern Alberta might be over for most farmers in the Lethbridge and Taber areas, but work has barely begun for the county and municipal district as they assess damage to rural roads, many of which are closed to traffic. A local state of emergency remained […] Read more
Land use regulations needed to reduce flood risks: experts
Planners want development restricted on flood plains and high-risk areas
Southern Albertans responded well to last year’s flood crisis, but the recovery is going to take years, said Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi. More than 100,000 people were affected in 30 communities when homes and businesses went under water June 19-21. The final costs are expected to exceed $6 billion, making it Canada’s most expensive natural […] Read more
Agriculture escapes serious damage
It’s hard to describe something as lucky when it’s in the midst of an event as devastating as the floods that stormed through southern Alberta two weeks ago. But reports of agricultural damage and livestock losses caused by the flood have so far been minimal. While High River remained destroyed and Calgary continued its cleanup, […] Read more
Alberta in cleanup mode
$1 billion in provincial emergency funding | Ottawa will also contribute toward recovery
The difficult and expensive process of cleanup after Alberta’s worst flood in history began earlier this week. The province announced $1 billion in emergency funding June 24 as a first phase in recovery from the damage inflicted in at least 25 cities, towns, rural communities and municipalities. Government officials were not willing to speculate on […] Read more
River overflows; High River saturated
Community worst hit | Residents forced to leave until infrastructure repaired, water safe
HIGH RIVER, Alta. — Seeing is believing the tragedy that has befallen High River. The worst flood in Alberta history has blitzed this town of 13,000, making it the hardest hit of the 23 communities that were in a state of emergency following heavy rains across the southern half of the province starting June 20. […] Read more
Evacuating High River – a first-hand account
I had no idea. Thursday in High River began with me preparing my lighting kit for a photo shoot later that day in Calgary. Four hours later, a front-end loader and then a boat took my wife and me to safety. At about 7:30 a.m. my neighbour called to say there were flooding concerns and […] Read more
Alberta flood: an eyewitness account
Uprooted trees are jammed against my fence posts, tugging at the barbed wire, and the raging water is taking everything with it: power poles, machinery, sheds, homes. My creek, normally the width of a ditch, now stretches across the valley, bulldozing through the heavy spruce. All around me farm land is flooded, people evacuated, tractors […] Read more
