Calgary officials continue to monitor the sky closely as major rivers in the city are expected to receive peak flows on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The latest model for the city shows the top of the Bow River which will arrive on Wednesday evening. The Elbow River is expected to peak on Tuesday, with an update on the scheduled time later in the day.
The city is still under a state of local emergency on Monday.
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.
- An updated forecast is expected this afternoon.
- Environment Canada issued a wind warning shortly after 11:30 a.m., warning that soil moistened by heavy rain could increase the risk of trees falling.
- 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.
- City officials have closed part of Memorial Drive to build a temporary berm. It is expected to remain in place for more than a week.
- Plans to build a berm to protect the Bowness community are on hold. Officials are looking for an alternative solution.
- Sunnyside and Bowness residents could see officials go door-to-door to warn of evacuation orders if conditions worsen.
- Susan Henry, head of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, says she wants to see the forecast for this afternoon before any decision is made on evacuations.
- There are navigation warnings for the Bow and Elbow rivers. Recreational access to Glenmore Reservoir is restricted.
The two areas that the city remains most concerned about are the Bowness and Sunnyside communities. It has closed Memorial Drive between 10th Street NW in the Kensington area and Edmonton Trail NE
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 from 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,” Calgary Emergency Management Agency chief Susan Henry told Calgary Eyeopener on Tuesday. in the morning.
City officials previously lowered the Glenmore Reservoir to attenuate the incoming water. That’s why officials aren’t so worried about the Elbow River starting Tuesday morning, given that things could change as forecasts change.
Calgary resident Peter Andrekson sent this photo of a fallen tree southwest of the city. Environment Canada issued a wind warning shortly after 11:30 a.m., warning that soil moistened by heavy rain could increase the risk of trees falling. (Submitted by Peter Andrekson)
“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 are talking about this days before the peak of the river is expected is really good news.
“We can’t eliminate all risk, so we’re concerned about areas like Sunnyside and Bowness. There’s risk to them.”
Susan Henry, head of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, came out, speaking during a meeting of the emergency management committee held Tuesday morning. Henry said the city wants to see the next forecast this 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 News)
In a warning issued shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday, Environment Canada said periods of heavy rain would continue throughout the day, with total rainfall of between 75 and 125 mm of rain Wednesday morning in the Calgary region.
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.
The agency said rain is expected to decrease during the day on Wednesday.
More to come.