Calgary declared a state of emergency on Monday as torrential rains were expected to hit southern Alberta for more than a month in just three days, but the city mayor said officials did not expect a repeat of the deadly floods in 2013. It has the same wet weather It also alerted neighboring British Columbia less than a year after historic rains caused floods and landslides in November. Several areas in the southeast BC. was under flood monitoring or warnings, and there was an evacuation alarm in the Six Mile community near Nelson, BC. Forecasts in both provinces predict that the worst will be over by the middle of the week. Calgary Mayor Giotti Godek said she had declared a state of emergency “with extreme caution”. If the situation worsens, the statement will give experts access to real estate to protect vital infrastructure. He said the order would allow firefighters and police to go door-to-door to advise residents on evacuation orders. No action is required at this time. “I realize that this can cause some fear, some anxiety in the people of Calgary, especially those who went through this in 2013,” Ms Gondek said. “I can tell you that you are in good hands.” Rain is expected in southern Alberta by Wednesday, according to Environment Canada, which has issued rainfall warnings of between 75 and 150 millimeters in areas such as Banff, Calgary and Rocky Mountain House in Alta. The water expert, Dr. Alain Pietroniro, a professor at the University of Calgary, said the expected rainfall was significant, but was unlikely to reflect the massive floods of 2013, when more than 100,000 Albertans were displaced. Professor Pietroniro said that the rain in the high mountains is expected to fall as snow, instead of rain, which will “slow things down”. The forecast also requires less rainfall compared to 2013 levels and said cities are better prepared. “Things could change. “You never know well about these events, but at the moment, they are not going to be a major event.” “We just have to watch the weather very closely.” The event in 2013 caused a loss of 5 billion dollars and was, at that time, the most costly flood in the history of Canada. The floods hit thousands of homes and killed five people, including one in Calgary and four others in other parts of the area. The county later approved a reservoir in Alta Springbank, 15 miles west of the city, that could divert water from the Elbow River, but the $ 432 million project faced multiple delays and construction began only last month. Officials in Calgary said the tanks had been emptied in preparation for prolonged rainfall. Residents have been warned of possible high flow rates on the Bow and Elbow Rivers. The Alberta Department of the Environment has issued flood warnings for the Bow River between Banff and Alsha Alta and flood clocks for the Bow, Elbow and Highwood rivers upstream of Calgary and High River Alta. The department expects impact on roads, parks and other infrastructure. In BC, the Provincial River Forecast Center on Monday upgraded a flood monitoring system for the Elk River near Fernie BC in the southeastern Kootenay area to a flood warning, indicating that snowmelt and Unstable weather have put the river in immediate danger of breaking its banks. Extreme levels of flood danger were announced in East Kootenay. “Given the uncertainty over the location of the weather and the heavier rainfall, neighboring areas in West Kootenay and Upper Columbia are also likely to have significant flows,” the center said in a statement. The center also issued flood monitoring Monday for the Shuswap area, including the South Thompson River tributaries, and high-flow alerts for the Okanagan, Boundary and Similkameen rivers inland. Previous flood clocks for the North Thompson River and Cariboo Mountains have been preserved. Canada’s environment has issued a rain warning for the Elk Valley, saying 50 to 80 millimeters of rain could be expected by late Tuesday, causing sudden flooding and waterlogging on the roads. The city of Fernie has activated the emergency operations center, closed trails and set up sandbag stations for residents. On Sunday, the Central Kootenay District issued an evacuation warning for about 120 properties in the Six Mile community north of Nelson BC. Officials in BC have been on high alert since an atmospheric river rained record rain in parts of the province in 2021. rinsing the highway system, destroying communities and paralyzing supply chains. The Globe and Mail previously estimated that the cost of repairing what was lost was nearly $ 9 billion. Abbotsford City Council Approves Flood Mitigation Project Monday which, in the event of an overflow from the Nooksack River, will direct water to the west side of the Sumas prairie and through a designated flood route to the Sumas and Fraser rivers. The city will now work on details of the plan and prepare a funding submission to the province. We have a weekly newsletter for Western Canada compiled by the heads of our offices in BC and Alberta, providing a comprehensive package of news you need to know about the area and its position on issues facing Canada. Register today.
