The City of Calgary has declared a local state of emergency, due to the high river flows and heavy rain, and is asking residents in six neighbourhoods to evacuate.
Residents in Mission, Elbow Park, Stanley Park, Roxboro, Rideau and Discovery Ridge are being told to evacuate immediately.
People should find shelter with friends or relatives for the next 72 hours.
For those who have no where to go, reception areas have been set up at the Southland Leisure Centre at 2000 Southland Dr. S.W. and the Acadia Recreation Complex at 240 90 Ave. S.E.
People should ensure that they take identification, prescription medications and other critical personal items with them.
Crews are going door-to-door notifying residents and access to those communities will be prohibited after 3:00 p.m.
Anyone with pets should also take them with them and if that is not an option, pets can be taken to the Animal Service Centre at 2201 Portland St.S.E.
The city is deploying sandbags and temporary dams at key locations to protect property and infrastructure.
Officials say that the water will likely come over the top of the Glenmore Dam and flooding will occur overnight.
“The current data we have indicates that we will see a significant amount of water start to show up late tonight and through the nighttime hours into early tomorrow morning. At that time we do expect that we will have increased flooding that will be in the magnitude of the 2005 floods or greater,” said Burrell.
The state of emergency was called just hours after the city activated their Municipal Emergency Plan earlier on Thursday.
Citizens are reminded to:
Stay away from rivers and creeks as the water is rising and moving quickly, and banks may be unstable.
Avoid storm water ponds and storm drains, and do not let children play near them.
Do not drive through flooded areas such as underpasses.
If you experience basement seepage or overland flooding, call 3-1-1 to report.
If you or someone else is in imminent danger, call 9-1-1. Remember that 9-1-1 is for emergencies only; please use 3-1-1 for reporting non-emergency issues.
Monitor local media and City of Calgary messages.
“We are asking Calgarians to avoid rivers and creeks. Move your valuables to a higher level, if you have things of value in your basement and you’re prone to flooding,” said Burrell.
The Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) and its partners continue to assess the situation and will update as needed.
There are a few detours and road closures in place and the city expects those to expand as the situation progresses.
Officials have closed Elbow Dr S.W. at 4th and 5th St. due to the rising water levels in the river.
Water services says that drinking water in the city is still safe to drink and the quality is good.
The mayor was in Toronto on Thursday and is now on his way home to help deal with the situation.
The city last activated the Municipal Emergency Plan in July 2012, when an explosion and fire at a downtown building shut down a number of services.
MANDATORY CALGARY EVACUATION: Mission, Elbow Park, Stanley Park, Roxboro, Rideau
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