Although rain warnings were lifted for Calgary and the rest of the state on Wednesday after two days of thunderstorms, wind warnings remained in place for some areas. In Calgary, Environment Canada reported gusts of up to 94 km / h on Wednesday.
Carol Henke, a public information officer at the Calgary Fire Department, said firefighters were “incredibly busy” with the number of trees and power lines that collapsed from the stormy winds in Calgary. He says there were more than 200 wind-related calls from Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning.
He said those numbers include more than 70 emergency calls between 10:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, more than 50 electricity emergency calls and five lightning calls.
However, no injuries have been reported.
“I think we are very, very lucky because with the number of trees that fell, it certainly caused property damage, but it can kill someone in an instant. And we are very grateful that no injuries were reported as a result of all these trees down.” he said.
Carol Henke, a public information officer for the Calgary Fire Department, said the department received hundreds of calls related to strong winds. (Dave Gilson / CBC)
Tuesday’s wind and humidity combined with strong gusts could knock down trees, Henke said, advising Calgary residents to be careful.
“Be careful when you’re out. Take care of your surroundings and be careful when driving, especially if you’re driving a high profile vehicle because this wind can really cause disaster,” he said.
The city of Calgary remains in a state of local emergency, which was invoked on Monday.
“Right now we are holding it in place just to be extremely careful and make sure people are protected; most Calgary residents know the weather can change to a penny,” said Calgary Mayor Jyoti Godek. Calgary Eyeoper.
He also encouraged Calgary residents to stay informed of what is happening in the city as river levels remain high.
“What we learned in 2013 is the most important thing we can do as a city is to communicate early and often,” he said.
“Please listen to the radio. Watch TV. Check the updates on the city’s website. Check out social media. We try to promote as much information as possible and if it is going to personally affect people on their property, you will put one of someone’s emergency services to come and knock on their door and tell them what to do. ”
The city closed Bowness Park, St. Patrick’s Island Park and Prince’s Island Park from 4 p.m. on Tuesday. He also closed Memorial Drive on 10th Street NW and created a groove.
In the last 48 hours, Calgary has received between 70 and 80 millimeters of rain, the city said. (Oseremen Irete / CBC)
The Elbow River has reached its peak, the city said, and is not expected to rise further. The Bow River is expected to peak on Wednesday afternoon.
The city says water levels will remain high in the coming days and may continue to change with additional weather systems.
While it may be a large order after a two-year stay during the pandemic, Gondek encouraged Calgarians to stay home as much as possible, off the river and its trails.
“It will pass. But until it does, let’s be safe.”
In a press conference Wednesday, Lisa Jackson told the Alberta Environment and Parks Department of Emergency Management that they have not received any reports of major flooding, although low-level local flooding has been reported.
All of Alberta’s major rivers have either peaked or will peak soon, before moving east across the province, he says.
The projected reservoir inflows have dropped significantly in the past day, so Jackson says they have no concerns about the safety of structures or dams. Discharges from Dickson Dam increased Wednesday morning, so anyone near the Red Deer River may have noticed a change in water flow.
Some provincial parks are closing as a result of rainfall, including the Bow River and Three Sisters camps east of Canmore off the Trans-Canada Highway.
Some highways are also affected. Drivers are encouraged to check the 511 for closure before exiting the road.
The meteorological system is expected to drop another 5 to 20 mm of rain in central and southern Alberta as it leaves the province on Thursday.
Canmore Mayor Sean Krausert says the city is monitoring its water bodies very closely, but it appears the water levels may not be as high as originally expected.
The city, about 100 miles west of Calgary, has activated its emergency response center and is monitoring flow levels. Krausert says the team is open around the clock and sandbags have been prepared for use by locals.
“Stay calm and grateful that the rain is falling and stay away from coves and rivers. They are still flowing very hard and the shores can become unstable,” he said.
The total amount of rainfall varies throughout the province from Sunday afternoon.
According to Environment Canada, the Kananaskis region recorded the heaviest rainfall, with 218 mm as of noon on Wednesday. By comparison, Olds has received 86.5 mm, while Banff has recorded 42 mm.
Environment Canada also reported a series of measurements in Calgary – a total of 62 mm fell at the airport, while the Springbank area received 79 mm.
Environment Canada reported the strongest winds in the last 72 hours occurred in areas north of Calgary and in the southeastern corner of the province, with gusts of up to 104 km / h.
“A lot of variety of emotions”
Calgarian Jean Woeller owned a house in Sunnyside that was damaged by the 2013 floods. He now lives in Bowness and is president of the Bowness Responsible Flood Mitigation Society. She says she was busy for a couple of days, sending emails from nervous residents of the community. “There is a great variety of emotions and it depends a lot on the experience of the people in 2013, on where they live in the community, the level of mitigation of the property they have,” he said. “But there is some anxiety, for sure. Concerns about the possibility of an evacuation and if there will be a power outage, what the stimuli for the evacuation may be. There are still some unknowns. Not much information has been shared about this.” However, he believes that the action taken by both the city and the province has put Calgary in a better position than in 2013. “And it would be really great to hear some of the lessons we learned after this event.” As of 4 p.m., Environment Canada is warning of winds in much of southeastern Alberta.
