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“We are not completely out of the woods. We still have a lot of work to do. But the forecast looks a little better ‘
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June 14, 2022 • 26 minutes ago • 5 minutes reading • 7 comments City teams are building a berm through the NW Drive along the Bow River Trail to protect Sunside from potential flooding on Tuesday. Azin Gafari / Postmedia
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Updated rainfall forecasts show that Calgary will avoid land-based flooding from ongoing flooding, but there is still a “significant risk”.
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That’s according to the head of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, Sue Henry, who said the situation had improved overnight, but that evacuation orders were still an option for some low-lying communities on the Bow River.
“As of this morning, things look a little more positive than they did yesterday,” Henry said at an impromptu meeting of the city council’s emergency management committee on Tuesday morning.
“We are not completely out of the woods. We still have a lot of work to do. But the forecast looks a little better, especially for areas along the Bow River.
Calgary is currently in a local state of emergency on Tuesday in response to heavy rainfall in some parts of the city. The declaration gives the city exclusive powers to deal with emergencies, including allowing police and firefighters to go door-to-door to keep residents informed of evacuation orders.
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Memorial Drive is closed between 10 p.m. NW and Edmonton Trail NE due to flood fears Tuesday, June 14, 2022 Azin Ghaffari / Postmedia
After continuous rain at night, Henry said CEMA expects heavy rain until about 2pm on Tuesday, a total of 25 to 35 millimeters between this morning and this hour. After that, the rainfall is expected to gradually weaken throughout the afternoon, ending around 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, Environment Canada has issued a wind warning for Calgary, with gusts of up to 90 km / h forecast from Tuesday afternoon to evening. The federal agency said wet ground from rainfall could increase the risk of falling trees and warned that tiles and windows could be damaged.
City company Enmax has reported power outages in several communities during a windstorm, mostly in the northwest. Calgary Transportation said some traffic lights in the city were flashing or empty, and some downed trees were reported in the early afternoon.
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Calgary firefighters clear a tree that fell on Edgemont Blvd. NW as strong winds and rain hit the city on Tuesday. Gavin Young / Postmedia
Water levels in the Elbow River are expected to peak on Wednesday morning and are not thought to pose a risk of flooding. On the Bow River, the water peak will be on Wednesday night and may still lead to flooding.
An additional forecast for the Bow River is expected this afternoon, at which point the city will determine if an evacuation order is needed.
Calgary Deputy Chief of Police Chad Taufik said residents and businesses in Sunside and Bowness should be prepared to see police, search and rescue or firefighters go door-to-door to notify residents. potential evacuation orders. He added that police and social agencies were talking to uninhabited Calgars in camps near the Bow River about the risk of flooding.
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The underpass under the bridge on 10th Street is closed due to fears of flooding on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. Azin Ghaffari / Postmedia
Henry said CEMA would seek to give residents a 26-hour notice before the high water period if evacuations take place.
“We try to give people as much time as possible without panic and the need to evacuate when it’s not needed,” Henry said. “We’re looking forward to having this additional forecast this afternoon and making a decision at this point.”
Calgary Water Director Francois Bouchart added that the Bow River was “close but below the threshold”, which would trigger an evacuation.
Some of the city’s flood mitigation efforts have already begun across Calgary, most notably the construction of a temporary berm at Memorial Drive. This barrier is 88 meters of clay near 3rd Street NW, which connects to an existing berm in the west.
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This temporary barrier has been raised with great attention, Bouchart said after water flowed from the area west of Sunside during the 2013 Calgary floods.
City teams are building a berm through Memorial Drive NW along the Bow River Trail to protect Sunside from potential flooding on Tuesday. Azin Gafari / Postmedia
Memorial Drive is closed indefinitely between 10th Street NW and Edmonton Trail NE. Officials said they were monitoring another weather system, which is currently expected to hit Calgary on June 20th, which could affect their decisions on when to remove the temporary berm and reopen the road.
Mike Bradfield lives in Sunnyside on 1st Avenue SW and his home was flooded several times during the 2013 floods.
He said he and his neighbors were relieved that they seemed to avoid the floods after spending the last few days on the edge. He said the city needs to invest in permanent flood mitigation solutions, mainly by raising the height of the existing berm to withstand more severe floods.
He was pleased with the temporary clay berm placed through Memorial Drive, but said it would not be necessary if the city had moved to actively strengthen the permanent berm.
“We’re glad they did, but it’s a symbol of a terrible failure for them to really get the job done, the job they already had to do,” Bradfield said.
Some low-lying trails and park areas along the Bow River are also closed due to the risk of flooding; A map of these closures can be found on the Calgary City website. The city also lowered the level of the Glenmore Reservoir in anticipation of torrential rains.
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The city also has pumps in areas including Sunside and Bowness, as well as several points on the Elbow River, to mitigate flood risks, including from water coming through storm sewers. Water levels in other low-lying areas such as Bridgeland and Inglewood have not reached the threshold needed to start pumping water.
Part of the reason for the more optimistic flood forecast at the local level is due to some precipitation in the Rocky Mountains, which falls like snow, Bushart said.
“The fact that we have snow falling, not rain, means that we are actually looking at a better situation than we expected,” he said.
At least two home evacuations have already been made, identified as at risk under McHugh Bluff, between Crescent Heights and Sunside. The city recently closed a bluffing path at least until the fall of 2023 due to concerns about the stability of the slope.
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Calgary residents have been asked to call 311 to report floods in emergencies.
The path under the bridge on 10th Street is closed. Azin Gafari / Postmedia
Elsewhere, the Alberta Environment has issued numerous flood warnings, clocks and tips west of Calgary. These include flood warnings on the Little Red Deer River and flood monitoring on the Bow River in Banff, Canmore and Exshaw and on tributaries of the river upstream of Calgary. No impact on Fish Creek is currently expected after the province downgraded the flood warning to a high-flow recommendation.
South of Calgary in Foothills County, emergency officials say several flood warnings have been reduced to recommended, including in the High River town. The area was among the worst affected by floods in 2013.
“I think it brought back some bad memories of 2013, but at the same time I think people also know they’re better prepared than they were then,” said Darling Roblin, manager of the Futhills County Emergency Services. .
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“We are moving in the right direction at the moment, so we are grateful for that, but it is always good to prepare for this worst-case scenario.”
The Alberta River Forecasting Center reported that at about 10:45 a.m. Tuesday, there was 60-80mm of rainfall in areas with heavier rainfall, with local higher up to 110mm recorded west of Calgary.
They forecast an additional 20-30 mm of rain on Tuesday, with “prolonged rain activity” possible on Wednesday.
Both city and provincial authorities are scheduled to provide additional updates on Tuesday afternoon.
jherring@postmedia.com
Twitter: @jasonfherring
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