Calgary flooding forces state of emergency extension

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 26 Juni 2013 | 22.41

The state of emergency in Calgary has been extended for eight more days, for a total of 21.

"We want to continue to use those powers for an appropriate amount of time," said Bruce Burrell, Calgary Emergency Management Agency director.

A state of emergency means that a municipality can circumvent bylaws, implement lane reversals on roads and buy products more easily and at pre-flood costs if the prices have risen.

As of Wednesday morning, five out of seven downtown power zones had been reenergized, though only 30 per cent of downtown buildings are ready to have power restored.

Across the city, there are still at least 11,000 people out of their homes, down from 100,000 at the peak of the crisis.

Water tables a stumbling block

"We're starting to see the water tables start to drop, which stops the continued infiltration, where as soon as you pump something up it fills back up," said Burrell.

But Burrell warned that progress is likely to slow down. He compared progress to sponges, where work done up to now was like squeezing out a damp sponge and work being done now is like dealing with a sopping wet sponge.

McLeod Trail, a major Calgary road leading into downtown, was reopened at 6:30 a.m. MT, but Memorial Drive and all bridges over Elbow River remain closed, said Burrell.

Eighty per cent of roads have been reopened across the city, said Burrell on Wednesday morning.

Community Support Centres

The city is implementing a new way for flood-affected residents to access city services.

City officials are now asking people to go to nine Community Support Centres that have been set up, rather than tape paper requests to their homes.City officials are now asking people to go to nine Community Support Centres that have been set up, rather than tape paper requests to their homes. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Previously, people had been told to put a sign in their window or make a 311 request if they needed to have power restored or water pumped out of their home.

Now the city is asking people to stop putting signs in their windows, and instead to access one of nine Community Support Centres that were set up Wednesday morning. Requests through the 311 phone line or app will still be processed, but Burrell suggested that the centres would be more responsive because they are in the communities where requests originate.

The centres will have representatives from Calgary police, fire, water resources, waste and recycling, development and building approvals and ATCO for utility and energy needs.

They have been set up in communities most ravaged by the floods and will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. MT, said Burrell.

Sewage in the Bow River

The flooding has forced the city to dump raw sewage into the Bow River.

The Bonnybrook Wastewater Treatment Plant was inundated with floodwater, say city officials.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the city's other two plants are still operating, but municipalities downstream have been warned about the problems at Bonnybrook.

"There is some sewage discharge into the river, which is not uncommon in conditions like this, and the important thing is the folks downstream know how to deal with it, just as we're dealing with it when it comes to us from upstream."

The city says the Bonnybrook plant is not meeting provincial standards right now, and it's working with Alberta Environment on the problem.


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