The scene in Calgary Seventeen bridges and 20 major roads are closed. The downtown is severely affected, with only one street open to the business centre heart of Alberta’s largest city. Officials want all but essential employees to stay off this street in order to keep the roadway clear for emergency vehicles. Portions of 25 neighbourhoods lining the Bow and Elbow rivers have been evacuated. The Calgary Board of Education announced that all schools are closed. The zoo, on an island in the rising Bow River, is flooding. Officials made emergency plans overnight. Exotic animals – large cats – would be moved to the cells in Calgary’s downtown courthouse if necessary, officials said at a morning media briefing. Some of the evacuated areas host everything from trendy shops to single-family homes. Mr. Nenshi witnessed major overland flooding overnight downtown, as well in neighbourhoods such as Bowness and Discovery Ridge. A dirt berm on the Elbow River broke in the Mission neighborhood of Calgary. Both of the city’s water treatment plants are running properly, meaning the Calgary’s drinking water is safe. Calgary residents have invited friends, family, and strangers to stay at their homes, Mr. Nenshi said. This is helping to ease pressure on the city’s emergency shelters. Across Alberta Responding to an appeal from the RCMP, the Canadian Forces has assigned two helicopters to help rescue those stranded in areas where roads had been washed out. The choppers plucked about 31 people off rooftops. A heavy-lift aircraft has also been put at the service of police and emergency management officials. More than a dozen towns declared states of emergency, with entire communities including High River and Bragg Creek under mandatory evacuation orders.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 16:31:30 +0000
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