Although this week’s storm has already caused widespread power outages, fallen trees and accumulated water on the city’s streets, city officials say they believe they are well equipped to cope with what the next few days will bring. .
The city is still under a state of local emergency on Monday.
While Environment Canada’s rain warning for Calgary ended Wednesday, weather warnings remain in place for a strip of southern and central Alberta north, east and south of Calgary.
During a media briefing Tuesday afternoon, Calgary Emergency Management Agency chief Susan Henry said city officials will continue to monitor the river.
“We don’t have any evacuation orders and we don’t think we will have to issue any evacuation orders in the next few days,” Henry said.
But given the dynamic weather conditions and how quickly conditions can change on the river, Henry offered a warning: “We haven’t left the forest yet.”
The last:
- Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the city took a break as part of the expected rain in the mountains fell like snow, which helped reduce the amount of runoff caused by the storm.
- He said 25mm of the precipitation that officials thought would be rain was, in fact, snow.
- According to the city, Calgary has so far received 75-100 mm of rainfall. The system is starting to shrink with up to 40mm of rain forecast today.
- Officials say rainfall in the Bow and Elbow Rivers was significantly below the higher end than expected.
- City officials have closed part of Memorial Drive to build a temporary berm. Work was progressing well and will be completed this Tuesday.
- During this time, __ Memorial Drive will remain closed__ until the summit of the event has passed through the city.
- There is currently accumulated water on some roads in Calgary.
- As of 4 p.m., Tuesday, Bowness Park, St. Patrick’s Island, and Prince’s Island Park have closed.
- Environment Canada issued a wind warning shortly after 11:30 a.m., warning that wet ground from heavy rain could increase the risk of trees falling.
- Enmax said he was working to restore electricity to various parts of the city. More than 6,500 residents of Calgar were experiencing disruptions over a period of time, although electricity has since been restored in some communities.
- Altadore, Banff Trail, Bankview, Brentwood, Bridgeland / Riverside, Charleswood, Cliff Bungalow, Collingwood, Crescent Heights, Elbow Park, Greenview, Highland Park, Lake Bonavista, Mount Pleasant, Renfrew, Richmond, Scarboro, South Calgary, Spruce Cliff, Tuxedo Park, the University of Calgary, Upper Mount Royal and Winston Heights / Mountview were experiencing disruptions as of 2:30 p.m.
- The Tsuutʼina nation was also experiencing an interruption from 2:30 p.m.
- A previously issued flood warning for the main stem of the Highwood River from the town of High River to the confluence of the Bow River has been downgraded to a high flow warning.
- Plans to build a permanent berm to protect the Bowness community are on hold. Officials are looking for an alternative solution.
- There are navigation warnings for the Bow and Elbow rivers. Recreational access to Glenmore Reservoir is restricted.
- Bowness Park, St. Patrick’s Island and Prince’s Island Park will be closed from 4pm on Tuesday.
Coln O’Reilly, a Sunnyside resident, said last night that he had received an emergency signal and was waiting to see what happens next.
“We’re keeping our eyes on the river,” he said.
Coln O’Reilly, a resident of Sunnyside, says he hopes mitigation efforts over the past few years can prevent damage to the 2013 flood scale (Charlotte Dumoulin / Radio-Canada)
This closure was made for the construction of a temporary berm passing through Memorial Drive. City officials decided to take this mitigation measure on Monday given the forecast for the next few days.
“There’s no flooding yet, but it’s a protection measure if the water level reaches what we think it could,” Henry told Calgary Eyeopener Tuesday morning.
City officials previously lowered the Glenmore Reservoir to attenuate the incoming water. For this reason, officials were not concerned about the Elbow River as of Tuesday morning, given that things could change as forecasts change.
Environment Canada issued a wind warning shortly after 11:30 a.m., warning that wet ground from heavy rain could increase the risk of trees falling. (Charlotte Dumoulin / Radio-Canada)
“Things are definitely under control. We learned a lot in 2013,” Henry said, referring to the combination of rapidly melting snow in the mountains and the seemingly endless rains that caused $ 5 billion in damage. and claimed five lives in southern Alberta in 2013.
“The fact that we’re talking about this days before the river peak is expected is really good news.”
Susan Henry, head of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, came out, speaking during a meeting of the emergency management committee held Tuesday morning. The city had been waiting to see a forecast on Tuesday afternoon before making decisions on possible evacuations. (CBC)
On Monday, Mayor Gondek said the local state of emergency allows police and firefighters to go door-to-door in the event of an evacuation.
It also provides the city’s water services team with access to the property to protect critical infrastructure and secure supplies quickly if needed.
The city of High River, which was devastated during the 2013 floods, was previously under a flood warning. It was downgraded to high flow advice.
The city has been building flood mitigation infrastructure since 2013.
“Emotions are still raw in this city, and I don’t think that will go away for many people for the rest of our lives,” High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass said during a media briefing on Tuesday.
“It’s just a matter of making sure we’re always at the forefront of things … we can never be complacent.”
High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass spoke during a media briefing on Tuesday morning. A flood warning previously issued for High River has been downgraded to a high flow warning. (CBC)
In a notice issued Tuesday shortly after 3:30 p.m., Environment Canada said periods of heavy rain would continue throughout the night before ending Wednesday.
The heaviest rainfall is expected to fall in the west, the agency said, with a total rainfall of 150 mm or more possible along the foothills and in the Rocky Mountains front mountain range.
On Tuesday, Bighorn City District issued a local state of emergency.
In a media release, Alberta Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon reiterated that the provincial government is waiting to provide assistance to affected communities as needed.
He added that municipalities can request flood mitigation equipment from provincial reserves through the Alberta Emergency Management Agency.
Lisa Jackson, executive director of environmental emergency management at Alberta Environment and Parks, said that since Sunday, the heaviest amounts of rain have been observed in areas west of Sundre, west of Calgary and south of Pincher Creek, with some local amounts up to 110 millimeters.
Sundre is about 110 miles northwest of Calgary. Pincher Creek is about 100 miles west of Lethbridge, on the southwest corner of the province.
Jackson also reported that several areas have been downgraded from flood warning to a high-flow warning: the Bow River in Banff, Canmore and Exshaw, tributaries of the Bow River upstream of Calgary, and the Elbow River. Highwood River and Fish Creek. .
Red Deer River has been downgraded from flood warning to flood watch, although there is still a flood warning for Little Red Deer River.
Jackson said there is new flood monitoring advice for Lake Waterton.
This article, written by Joel Dryden, was originally published for CBC News.