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It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but Calgary isn’t out of the woods yet.
This is the message from city officials, following a heavy rainstorm earlier this week that saved a lot of potential damage to the city.
Mayor Jyoti Gondek says a berm built quickly along a section of Memorial Drive north of the core, while possibly uncomfortable, shows the city’s commitment.
It went up in 18 hours, costing about $ 115,000, but has some built-in flexibility.
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⚠️The area around the temporary berm is an area of active construction. Please stay away.⚠️👀 You can enjoy the view from the comfort of your own home. For more information, visit: pic.twitter.com/4Yw8LTAIH2
⚠️The area around the temporary berm is an area of active construction. Please stay away.⚠️
👀 You can enjoy the view from the comfort of your home.
For more information, visit: City of Calgary on Twitter: “⚠️The area around the temporary berm is an active construction area. Please stay away.⚠️👀 You can enjoy the view from the comfort For more information, please visit: pic.twitter.com/4Yw8LTAIH2 / Twitter “City of Calgary on Twitter:” ⚠️The area around the temporary berm is an active construction area. Please stay away- You can enjoy the view from the comfort of your own home. For more information, visit: pic.twitter.com/4Yw8LTAIH2 / Twitter “
– City of Calgary (@cityofcalgary) City of Calgary on Twitter: “⚠️The area around the temporary berm is an area of active construction. Please stay away.⚠️👀 You can enjoy the view from the comfort For more information visit: pic.twitter.com/4Yw8LTAIH2 / Twitter ”
“We understand that the berm is creating some traffic flow problems, so the good news is that we will create a couple of traffic lanes, a temporary split in the berm,” Gondek told reporters early Thursday.
It can be restored if needed for a future weather system, he said, adding that Calgary’s state of emergency declared Monday that it would be maintained for now.
Bermuda is protecting more than $ 50 million in property, Gondek said.
The parks affected by the weather system have been reopened, except for Rideau Park, southwest of the city, along Elbow Drive.
‘THE RISK IS THERE’
The city’s director of water resources says now is not the time for complacency.
“I want to stress that the risk is there and therefore we are taking every possible precaution,” François Bouchart said.
He said weather modeling includes an option that could be a problem.
“Some of our models show this system surrounding the eastern slopes, just like the system we observed last week,” he explained.
“The forecast is between 50 and 100 mm of rain. If we look at the midpoint, 70 mm of rain, this would mean that the flows within the Bow River will reach a maximum of about 1,200 cubic meters per second.”
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During the 2013 flood, the river reached a maximum of 1,750 cubic meters per second.
Parts of Bowness and Sunnyside are among the risk areas in the worst-case scenario, Bouchart said.
Sue Henry, head of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), said residents can report non-emergency weather-related incidents, such as fallen trees on city property or block traffic using the 311 app.
Since Monday, the city has received more than 1,000 tree-related reports.
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This article, written by David Bell, was originally published for CBC News.