680News rounds up the reports from Calgary, where the Bow River flooded significant portions of the city yesterday:
Officials are now blaming the devastating flooding in southern Alberta for at least three deaths in the province.
An estimated 100,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, with little information available on when they’ll be able to return.
“I’m not in a position right now to be able to give you timings on neighbourhoods that are along the Bow River and when people may be able to return to those homes, but we are slowly getting there,” said Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
Many also have no idea whether they’ll have a livable home to return to once the floodwaters finally recede.
Experts say that in some areas, that could still be days.
‘Stunning’ is how Prime Minister Stephen Harper described the flooding in southern Alberta, after he boarded a military helicopter in Calgary to get an aerial view.
Calgary has been one of the hardest hit areas in the western province, and the city was something of a ghost-town Saturday.
There was some positive news for those who have been evacuated, with people in at least one Calgary neighbourhood being allowed to return home Saturday.
During the intial reporting, several Edmontonians were poking fun at Calgary’s plight, but the tone changed quickly once the seriousness of the situation became clear:
The traditional Edmonton-Calgary rivalry went by the wayside, with the provincial capital city promising to send 100 of its police officers to help out where needed.
A total of 1,200 Canadian troops and eight military helicopters have been sent to the city to help local emergency crews with evacuations and sandbagging.
Emergency crews from Ontario, meanwhile, were planning to head out as soon as possible.
“The Ontario Red Cross is at this time mobilizing supplies to help shelter thousands of people in Calgary,” the agency’s Mike Morton said.
The power is off in much of the downtown core in Calgary still, with some of the outages done as a precaution, while others as a direct result of the flooding.
Officials say it could be the middle of next week before all of the lights are back on.
The Calgary Sun‘s front page:
