My city is under a state of emergency!

[pow wow]

Calgary is flooding as I speak. A wall of water has hit us coming down out of the Rocky Mountains. 100,000 people have been evacuated so far. The downtown is sealed off and is flooding right now. The Bow river has not yet crested so the worst is still ahead of us. I did manage to get down to the rivers to get some pictures last night. The authorities are begging everybody to stay away today.
















https://www.citynews.ca/2013/06/21/raw-v ... n-calgary/

[webmaster]

Wow! Stay safe! Those are very dramatic photos!

[rainbowgardener]

Wow! Yes, amazing photos. Hope everyone was able to get evacuated to high ground. Why is this happening? Was there a ton of rain some where up in the mountains? Had there been forest fires?

I grew up in Southern California, and even back then, there was a regular cycle of forest fires in the summer burning off all the vegetation and then the land can't hold the water the way it would have and so when winter rains came there would be flooding.

[cynthia_h]

Wow! Yes, amazing photos. Hope everyone was able to get evacuated to high ground. Why is this happening? Was there a ton of rain some where up in the mountains? Had there been forest fires?

I grew up in Southern California, and even back then, there was a regular cycle of forest fires in the summer burning off all the vegetation and then the land can't hold the water the way it would have and so when winter rains came there would be flooding.

According to this story by the CBC, there were several days of heavy rains in the Rockies, to the West and upstream of Calgary. By reading down in the story, I learned that the town of Canmore, upstream of Calgary, is much worse off, and another city downstream of Calgary is under a total evacuation order.

Scary stuff. Sounds like what the Midwest folks had to deal with a couple of months ago with the spring thaw.... But with much less (like no) warning.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[cynthia_h]

The Toronto Star provides further details of the rain as well as the flooding.

"It had been a wet week throughout much of Alberta, but on Wednesday and Thursday, the Bow River Basin was battered with up to 100 millimetres of rain. Environment Canada’s forecast called for more rain in the area, but in much smaller amounts." [100 mm = approx. 4 inches]

Prime Minister Harper is from Calgary and is scheduled to visit today and survey the damage. The Premier (=Provincial Governor, more or less) has promised the aid of the Province of Alberta to flood victims.

Cynthia

[pow wow]

Yes, we have had an unusual amount of rain combined with the snow melt off the mountains. We have not had a flood anywhere near this since the 1930s. They have parked trains on the bridges to weight them down, which is something they did back in the 1930's. Couldn't stay at home so despite the continued downpour I made my way to the river. Amazing!

[pow wow]

Our downtown core is devastated. Water is up to the 14th row at the Saddledome hockey arena.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/pictures-a ... -1.1334613

[digitS']

Good Heavens!!

Those pictures make it all too real!

We had some daily records set. Not quite here altho' there was a lot of rain yesterday. I had to be out and about today and was caught in a couple of showers but it is fairly well, moving out. The sun has finally come out and it looks like it might stay out for the last few hours of the day.

Sandpoint Idaho had over 2" of rain from the storm. Quartz Peak, not far from where I live, picked up 4½"! If there had been very much snow up there - Wow! And, that must be what happened upriver from Calgary!!!

Steve

[pow wow]

Hi Steve. I think these are the same rain storms that passed your way. Up into BC and then onto us on the east side of the Rockies. I don't know how we are going to be able to hold the Stampede in two weeks time. Crazy!

[imafan26]

I hope things get better soon. It is wierd weather we have had for the last few years. The main thing is that everyone stays safe. Are you on high ground?

[tomf]

Wow! Do you have a sea wall for down town? When portland gets a flood they put the sea wall in place before it floods down town, it is some dams that fit on the wall that is on the river. we still have had floods over take the city. What I am seeing from your photos is much worse!

[gumbo2176]

Floods are nasty things. I've lived in New Orleans since "52" and experienced 2 major floods associated with Hurricanes Betsy and Katrina. They cause so much damage just from the waters, but you mix in mud, chemicals that are escaping from flooded houses in the form of petrochemicals, pesticides, cleaning materials and toss in the gas and oil escaping from autos underwater and you have a very toxic soup.

It took me the better part of a year to get back to normal after Katrina and the 4 1/2 feet of water it left in my house for almost 3 weeks. So many things you take for granted, like going to the local market, banking in your neighborhood, buying gasoline, etc. gets exponentially harder as businesses are flooded and need time to repair. My heart goes out to you folks dealing with this.

[Green Mantis]

The news said if the zoo were to start flooding, they were going to move the big cats into the jail cells.

It's really bad, they now think there are 3-4 people dead.

The Mayor of Calgary said they will put the Stampede on. Things are sure going to have to change to do it.

They are calling for more rain.

It's been raining/blowing/hailing and thunderstorms where we are everyday for weeks.

I can't plant anything But it's not just Calgary, it's High River, Canmore, even Banff. It's really bad.

Going to cost Billions to clean the mess up everywhere. Just awful. I feel so sorry for all the people caught

in this mess.

[pow wow]

Did some exploring yesterday. Water had gone down quite a bit.







I think the high water mark is seen on those tree trunks.







the river bank is on the other side of those shrubs out in the water









Momo the cat.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/new ... e12760681/

[cynthia_h]

That's one amazing cat! Must be some Maine Coon in her somewhere; they're said to like water a lot. Maybe other breeds do, too?

Cynthia

[Susan W]

Amazing! Flooding is nothing to play with. Now the yuck part begins as things get cleaned up.

[Smallgardener]

Looks like you are as wet as we are dry. Evidently the rains are falling but just not spread out.
Prayers sent your way!

[pow wow]

Thank you smallgardener. I pray for some rain for you. The crops will be needing it about now. My mom came from Hardy Nebraska, 10 mile from the Kansas border. Grandad moved the family to irrigation country in southern Alberta in 1930, just in the nick of time according to an aunt and many cousins that remained and faced the 1930s trying to farm in southern Nebraska.