In the days leading up to June 19, 2013, parts of southern and central
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...
, Canada experienced heavy rainfall that triggered catastrophic flooding described by the provincial government as the worst in
Alberta's history. Areas along the
Bow,
Elbow,
Highwood,
Red Deer
The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of ...
,
Sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticate ...
,
Little Bow
Little Bow was a provincial electoral district in Alberta, Canada, mandated to return a single member to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta from 1913 to 2019.
Throughout its history, this district has been dominated by agricultural activities ...
, and
South Saskatchewan
The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in Canada that flows through the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.
For the first half of the 20th century, the South Saskatchewan would completely freeze over during winter, creating spectacula ...
rivers and their tributaries were particularly affected. A total of 32
states of local emergency were declared
and 28 emergency operations centres were activated
as water levels rose and numerous communities were placed under evacuation orders.
Five people were confirmed dead as a direct result of the flooding and over 100,000 people were displaced throughout the region. Some 2,200
Canadian Forces
}
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force.
...
(CF) troops were deployed to help in flooded areas in addition to the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
and
Alberta Sheriffs Branch response. Total damage estimates exceeded
C$5 billion and in terms of insurable damages, made the 2013 Alberta floods the costliest disaster in Canadian history at $1.7 billion, until the occurrence of the
2016 Fort McMurray wildfire. Receding waters gave way to a mammoth cleanup of affected areas, aided by a spontaneous volunteer campaign in which many homeowners were assisted by complete strangers.
Meteorology
Situated east of the
Canadian Rockies
The Canadian Rockies (french: Rocheuses canadiennes) or Canadian Rocky Mountains, comprising both the Alberta Rockies and the British Columbian Rockies, is the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains. It is the easternmost part ...
,
southern Alberta
Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017.[semi-arid
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi- ...](_blank)
region that does not usually receive high amounts of rainfall. A
high-pressure system in
northern Alberta blocked the passage to a
low-pressure area
In meteorology, a low-pressure area, low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclement weather (such as cloudy, windy, with possible ...
to the south, 19-21 June. This blocked circulation and easterly winds pumped humidity on the rising slopes of the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in straight-line distance from the northernmost part of western Canada, to New Mexico ...
foothills, causing heavy rain into the province with rainfall amounts of over to fall in less than two days in many regions of the province, particularly west and southwest of Calgary. In
Canmore, a town in
Alberta's Rockies, over fell in just 36 hours, nearly half of the town's annual average rainfall.
In the town of
High River
High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021.
History
The community takes ...
, rainfall amounts at one weather station recorded 325 millimetres (12.8 in) in less than 48 hours. The rain falling on already saturated ground, coupled with the steep watershed and heavy snow loads remaining in the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains, resulted in a rapid increase in the size and flow of several rivers.
At the peak of the flooding, the Bow and Elbow rivers were flowing through Calgary at three times their peak levels from a 2005 flood that caused
C$400 million in damages.
Within 48 hours, by 8 a.m.
MDT on June 21, the
flow rate on the Bow River had reached 1,458 cubic metres (51,489 cubic ft.) per second (m
3/s), five times its normal rate for this time of the year. The Elbow and Highwood rivers reached flow rates of 544 m
3/s (inside Calgary) and 734 m
3/s respectively, ten times their averages for this time of year. According to data tracked by Alberta's Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development,
[Premier Redford created the Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRB) formerly known as the Ministry of Environment and Water on May 8, 2012.] "in the space of a day or two, the flows of the three rivers rocketed up five to 10 times their normal rates."
Impact
Government officials called the flooding the worst in Alberta's history.
By June 24, 2013, some 2,200 Canadian Forces (CF) troops had been deployed to help in flooded areas.
Land Force Western Area
Land Force Western Area (LFWA) was a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for operations in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. LFWA was headquartered at CFB Edmonton. The command was formed in ...
brought in
Coyote reconnaissance vehicles,
Bison armoured vehicles,
G-Wagen Jeeps, and other military vehicles.
As communities began to flood and people became displaced, area residents mobilized to offer support and assistance to evacuees and emergency response personnel. Some volunteers and several police officers worked up to 20 hours to help evacuation efforts despite knowing their own homes had been damaged or completely washed away. While coverage of the flooding spread throughout social media sites, many people and businesses also took to
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dust ...
and
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
to open their homes up to neighbours and strangers who did not have other places to stay or offer whatever support they could.
Calgary
In
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...
,
Alberta's largest city,
26 neighbourhoods[Affected neighbourhoods included ]Beltline
The Atlanta BeltLine (also Beltline or Belt Line) is a open and planned loop of multi-use trail and light rail transit system on a former railway corridor around the core of Atlanta, Georgia. The Atlanta BeltLine is designed to reconnect nei ...
, Bonnybrook, Bowness, Bridgeland Industrial Area, Chinatown
A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Aust ...
/ Eau Claire, Cliff Bungalow, Deer Run, Discovery Ridge, Douglasdale, Downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...
/ East Village, Elbow Park, Erlton, Inglewood Inglewood may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Inglewood, Queensland
* Shire of Inglewood, Queensland, a former local government area
*Inglewood, South Australia
*Inglewood, Victoria
*Inglewood, Western Australia
Canada
* Inglewood, Ontario
*Inglewoo ...
, Hillhurst, Mission, Montgomery, Quarry Park, Rideau Park
Rideau Park is a residential neighbourhood in southwest Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The name Rideau means curtain in the French Language.
The neighbourhood is bounded on the west by 111 Street, on the east by Calgary Trail, on the north by Whit ...
, Riverbend, Riverdale, Roxboro, Stanley Park/ Elboya, Sunnyside, Victoria Park, Westmount and Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a association football, football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is the home ground of Linfield F.C. who own the land the stadium is built on, while the Irish Football Association own and operate the stadium and pay Li ...
in the vicinity of the Bow and Elbow rivers were placed under a mandatory evacuation order on June 20 and 21 as the rivers spilled over their banks and flooded communities.
Affecting 75,000 people, it was the largest evacuation order in the city's history. The city's
downtown core
The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with many integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buildi ...
was among the areas evacuated, as officials called for a "Neighbour Day" on June 21 and requested people to stay home, particularly the 350,000 people who work downtown.
All schools in both the
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
and
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
school districts were closed and officials urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
On June 21, the
Bow River had reached a record high water level of . That same day, the river also reached a record high flow rate of .
Through social media,
[A highly detailed Google Map was updated to include neighbourhoods under mandatory evacuation and to show information such as the hydrology of the Bow and Elbow River systems.] websites and blogs
[The City of Calgary constantly updated thei]
blog
. with a constant stream of updated contributions from the Calgary's mayor,
[Mayor Nenshi]
is well-known for his effective use of social media. numerous city councillors,
[Th]
City of Calgary's Facebook
account was also widely used. the Calgary Police, media at all levels, and numerous Calgarians with Twitter,
[Twitter hashtags included #yycflood, #abflood.] Flickr and Facebook accounts, the flood was extremely well-covered.
[While the Calgary Police's ]Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account wa
locked when it reached its daily limit
, this was temporary and there were numerous other options.
The city's largest indoor arena, the
Scotiabank Saddledome
Scotiabank Saddledome is a multi-use indoor arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located in Stampede Park in the southeast end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flame ...
, was among the facilities damaged as flood waters were reported to have filled up to the first ten rows of the lower seating bowl. The
Calgary Stampede grounds adjacent to the arena were also severely flooded, less than two weeks before the scheduled opening of the annual exhibition and rodeo, however officials vowed the event would go on.
While emergency officials began to announce the partial lifting of some evacuation orders on June 22, Mayor
Naheed Nenshi stated that it would be several days before power could be restored to the downtown core. City workers, assisted by Canadian Forces personnel from
The Calgary Highlanders
The Calgary Highlanders is a Canadian Army Primary Reserve infantry regiment, headquartered at Mewata Armouries in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The regiment is a part-time reserve unit, under the command of 41 Canadian Brigade Group, itself part o ...
, reinforced a particularly large erosion of river bank near 8th Avenue S.E., which endangered several houses in the neighbourhood of Inglewood.
Calgary's
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
, home to many of Canada's oil company headquarters, remained inaccessible until June 26.
A spokesman for
Imperial Oil
Imperial Oil Limited (French: ''Compagnie Pétrolière Impériale Ltée'') is a Canadian petroleum company. It is Canada's second-biggest integrated oil company. It is majority owned by American oil company ExxonMobil with around 69.6 percent o ...
, Canada's second-largest producer and refiner, said the company was working on plans to maintain essential operations, including allowing employees to work from other locations.
Shorcan Energy Brokers, which provides live prices for many Canadian crude grades, operated out of Toronto on June 21 rather than at its usual Calgary base, although no trades in either
Western Canada Select
Western Canadian Select (WCS) is a heavy sour blend of crude oil that is one of North America's largest heavy crude oil streams and, historically, its cheapest. It was established in December 2004 as a new heavy oil stream by EnCana (now Ceno ...
heavy blend or light
synthetic crude from the oil sands were executed.
Net Energy Inc, the other main Calgary crude broker, was closed on Friday, June 21, and there was no trading.
As the water began to recede, the city lifted evacuation orders for several communities. It allowed 65,000 residents to return to their homes and business on June 23 to assess for damage, but parts of 14 communities remained off-limits.
On June 27, the Bonnybrook Bridge collapsed under the weight of a
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canad ...
freight train. One of the pilings of the 101-year-old rail bridge had been scoured by floodwaters on the Bow River and undermined. CPR officials said that because the scour occurred underwater, they had not been able to inspect it, due to river conditions. However, rail regulations require the ability to inspect underwater. The buckled bridge caused the train to derail. As the train was carrying hazardous petrochemicals, an evacuation was ordered for the local area and regions downstream, and the train was slowly pumped dry.
High River
South west of Calgary, the town of
High River
High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23. High River had a population of 14,324 in 2021.
History
The community takes ...
was evacuated after flooding of the Highwood River caused water to rise over the top of vehicles in the town's main streets and necessitated the rescue of over 150 people from the rooftops of their homes. 350 Canadian Forces personnel and 80
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal and national police service of Canada. As poli ...
officers were dispatched to assist with rescue efforts. Members of the
Alberta Sheriffs Branch were also involved in this effort. All 13,000 residents of High River were ordered to evacuate on June 20, and the community was largely abandoned within three days as the town suffered what local officials called "unprecedented" damage. Among internationally recognized sites flooded in High River was the "Maggie's Diner" standing set for the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the governmen ...
(CBC) series ''
Heartland
Heartland or Heartlands may refer to:
Businesses and organisations
* Heartland Bank, a New Zealand-based financial institution
* Heartland Inn, a chain of hotels based in Iowa, United States
* Heartland Alliance, an anti-poverty organization ...
''.
During the state of emergency in High River, the RCMP entered numerous homes in the area and seized hundreds of firearms, along with magazines and ammunition. Although the RCMP claimed that it only seized firearms that were in plain view, many residents have complained that their firearms were well hidden, and that the RCMP caused significant damage inside homes while searching for firearms. There are further complaints that RCMP members subjected homes to second or even third searches in their quest for firearms in plain view. The ''Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP'' concluded that the RCMP had exceeded its authority by seizing firearms that were properly secured or not in plain view, by not keeping proper records of the damage caused when they broke into homes, and by failing to report the seizure of firearms to a
justice of the peace
A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or '' puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the s ...
. The report concluded that, although they were not legally required to do so, communicating adequately with the public during the crisis would have prevented much confusion among partners and anger among residents.
While residents of other communities were returning and beginning their cleanup, High River remained off limits a week after the flooding first hit. Residents grew increasingly frustrated at what they perceived as a lack of communication from local officials, particularly the lack of a timeline to return. Officials argued the town remained unsafe; some residences remained accessible only to divers, while
E. coli had been discovered in the water.
The neighbourhood of Beechwood estates, with many luxury homes worth over a million dollars, was among those hard hit by the flood. The Province of Alberta decided to purchase the 94 homes, demolish most of them and return the area to its natural state as a floodplain. Twenty-six of the houses were auctioned off for relocation.
Southern Alberta
The mountain towns of
Banff and
Canmore, west of Calgary, were cut off from neighbouring communities after flooding and
mudslide
A mudflow or mud flow is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/second. Mudflows contain a signific ...
s forced the closure of the
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...
. Several homes were swept away in Canmore by the rise of Cougar Creek.
In addition to Calgary, High River and Canmore, nine other municipalities, including the City of
Lethbridge
Lethbridge ( ) is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. With a population of 101,482 in its 2019 municipal census, Lethbridge became the fourth Alberta city to surpass 100,000 people. The nearby Canadian Rocky Mountains contribute to t ...
; the towns of
Black Diamond,
Cochrane Cochrane may refer to:
Places Australia
*Cochrane railway station, Sydney, a railway station on the closed Ropes Creek railway line
Canada
* Cochrane, Alberta
* Cochrane Lake, Alberta
* Cochrane District, Ontario
** Cochrane, Ontario, a town wit ...
,
Sundre
Sundre is a town in central Alberta, Canada that is surrounded by Mountain View County. It is approximately northwest of Calgary on the Cowboy Trail in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.
Sundre takes its name from a town in Norway, the ...
and
Turner Valley; the Municipality of
Crowsnest Pass;
Rocky View County; and the municipal districts of
Bighorn No. 8,
Pincher Creek No. 9 and
Foothills No. 31, had declared states of emergency on June 20 due to flooding and some communities had evacuated residents. Additionally, the City of
Red Deer
The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of ...
declared a state of emergency over the potential of flooding ahead of a planned release of water from the
Dickson Dam into the
Red Deer River
The Red Deer River is a river in Alberta and a small portion of Saskatchewan, Canada. It is a major tributary of the South Saskatchewan River and is part of the larger Saskatchewan-Nelson system that empties into Hudson Bay.
Red Deer River h ...
.
Another dozen communities have declared a state of emergency on June 21,
including several
First Nation reserves; the
Siksika First Nation, east of Calgary evacuated 1,000 residents.
The city of
Medicine Hat
Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are wit ...
, located on the
South Saskatchewan River downstream from the confluence of the Bow and Oldman rivers was also hit with significant flooding.
The city evacuated 10,000 residents ahead of the flooding, and facilities including the
Medicine Hat Arena had begun to flood late Sunday evening, June 23. The South Saskatchewan River peaked at 5,460m
3/s, which was below earlier predictions of 6,000m
3/s, but exceeded the highest recorded rate of 5,100m
3/s in 1995.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Officials in the neighbouring provinces of
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
and
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
were bracing for potential flooding along the South Saskatchewan and
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...
rivers, into which many of the affected rivers in Alberta drain.
The South Saskatchewan River reached record levels through
Saskatoon
Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
, but the city did not experience significant flooding. 2,200 people were evacuated from the
Cumberland House
Cumberland House was a mansion on the south side of Pall Mall in London, England. It was built in the 1760s by Matthew Brettingham for Prince Edward, Duke of York and Albany and was originally called York House. The Duke of York died in 176 ...
area in eastern Saskatchewan. In Manitoba, flood warnings were issued for
The Pas.
Fatalities
Four people are confirmed to have died as direct result of the flooding.
Three people drowned in the Highwood River near High River, while an elderly woman drowned in her ground-floor apartment in Calgary's Mission neighbourhood.
Additionally,
Okotoks
Okotoks (, originally ) is a town in the Calgary Region of Alberta, Canada. It is on the Sheep River, approximately south of Calgary. Okotoks has emerged as a bedroom community of Calgary. According to the 2016 Census, the town has a population ...
resident Robert David Nelson was killed in an
ATV rollover while checking a neighbour's home for flood damage.
Cleanup and recovery
Estimated costs
On June 24, 2013 although total damage caused by the flooding remained unknown, Alberta Premier
Alison Redford, predicted it would surpass the $700 million caused by the Slave Lake fire, with much of the cost likely to be uninsurable.
In a report issued on June 24, 2013, Tom MacKinnon, BMO Capital Markets insurance analyst, suggested an early estimate of between $3 billion and $5 billion of total damages to "homes, businesses, vehicles and other private property." That would be "20 to 30 times" the amount of damage caused by southern Alberta's 2005 major flood, and the second costliest natural disaster in Canadian history.
The Province of Alberta estimated in August that the cost of repairing the damage would exceed $5 billion. The Insurance Bureau of Canada stated in September that insurable losses had exceeded $1.7 billion, making it the costliest disaster in Canadian history in terms of insured damages (and without accounting for inflation), surpassing the $1.6 billion cost of the
North American Ice Storm of 1998
The North American Ice Storm of 1998 (also known as Great Ice Storm of 1998) was a massive combination of five smaller successive ice storms in January 1998 that struck a relatively narrow swath of land from eastern Ontario to southern Quebec, ...
. The bureau called the cost "staggering", and said the figure continued to rise.
The Albertan government granted the
Siksika nation $93M to rebuild their communities; $10M of this grant would be used to train and upgrade the vocational skills needed to perform construction repairs.
Municipal level
Alberta's Minister of Municipal Affairs,
Doug Griffiths
Douglas Gordon Griffiths (born October 26, 1972) is the president and chief executive officer of 13 Ways, Inc., a company he founded to provide consultation to struggling North American communities. He is a public speaker and co-author of the ...
, announced that a task force that represents numerous government agencies and which earned praise for its coordination of recovery efforts following the
2011 Slave Lake wildfire would be reconvened.
John McGowan, CEO of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) described how AMSC is applying what they learned from the $700-million clean-up process following the Slave Lake fire in 2011 in their response to the flood.
McGowan explained how the AUMA's subsidiary Alberta Municipal Services Corporation (AMSC) will provide a wide variety of services which include general insurance to the approximately 278 cities, towns and villages in Alberta affected by the flood.
Damaged public buildings, vehicles and key public infrastructure, including subsidiary damage such as, structural damage to bridges or tunnels, need to be repaired or replaced in the "biggest cleanup in provincial history".
"Neighbours, strangers, friends, and friends-of-friends-of-friends" helped those whose homes were damaged in Calgary's flood. Calgary's first official call, early on the morning of June 24, for 600 volunteers resulted in an estimated 2,500 people arriving ready to work. Calgary Emergency Management Agency director Bruce Burrell said that the City of Calgary hired contractors on larger infrastructure repairs but volunteers were needed.
Provincial level
Upon touring the affected areas, Alberta Premier
Alison Redford who represents the
Calgary-Elbow
Calgary-Elbow is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, Canada. Its most recent MLA was Doug Schweitzer, who won the seat in the 2019 provincial election. Schweitzer stepped down on August 31, 2022 and the ele ...
riding, promised provincial assistance in recovery efforts.
The Alberta Treasury board met early on June 24 to approve a preliminary $1 billion emergency fund for the disaster recovery program, covering immediate clean-up and repair costs. Losses to homeowners and municipalities caused by overland flooding, not covered by regular insurance, will be covered by the province.
While making the funding announcement Premier Redford cautioned that it could take up to ten years to fully recover from the disaster.
Federal level
Prince William and
his wife sent on June 24, via the
Canadian Secretary to the Queen, a message of support, expressing their "best wishes to the
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
and Premier of Alberta and to the brave emergency services and all those volunteering to help their neighbours during this ongoing period of intense efforts." His father, then
Prince Charles
Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
also, following the
destruction of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, on July 8, issued a statement mentioning both that disaster and the Alberta floods, saying "this has been a most testing time for Canadians" and praising the "extraordinary efforts which have led to the Calgary Stampede being opened on time" as demonstration that "it is only too clear how courageous and resourceful Canadians are, and we have nothing but the greatest admiration for such determination and resilience in the face of terrible adversity." Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...
, who also represents the
Calgary Southwest riding, toured the flooded area and promised federal assistance in recovery efforts.
Harper, Redford and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi took a helicopter tour of flood-damaged areas on the afternoon of June 21, and discussed the trilateral co-operation to the flood response.
It was announced in 2013 that $2 billion was earmarked from the government's
Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements for the province and that the government was seeking a $689-million increase in funding for the program from parliament.
First Nations
A state of emergency for Siksika First Nation, east of Calgary, was declared in the evening of June 20 with approximately one thousand people evacuated from their homes. By June 23, with 200 homes still underwater, Chief Fred Rabbitcarrier told
CTV
CTV may refer to:
Television
* Connected TV, or Smart TV, a TV set with integrated internet
North America and South America
* CTV Television Network, a Canadian television network owned by Bell Media
** CTV 2, a secondary Canadian televisio ...
that there was a "feeling of hopelessness."
However, as news outlets began to cover the story
and
Facebookaccount, set-up using a cellphone, helped coordinate relief efforts, donations and volunteers have responded to the community's call for help.
Volunteering
Soon after the flood started to recede, volunteer efforts began to help clean up the aftermath of the flood in Calgary.
Thousands of people descended on heavily hit areas to help neighbours and strangers clean up in the aftermath. Buses were organized to transport volunteers into High River, where the majority of residents were expected to require assistance.
Flood mitigation
In November 2013, the Government of Alberta announced various projects to mitigate future flooding within Calgary and High River. The projects include construction of a channel to divert water around High River and a dry dam for the Elbow River west of Bragg Creek, which is upstream of Calgary. A grant was also announced for Calgary to investigate construction of a tunnel to divert Elbow River flood waters away from neighbourhoods.
Gallery
Flooding in Calgary
File:Looking downtown from Riverfront Ave Calgary Flood 2013.jpg, Looking toward Downtown Calgary
Downtown Calgary is a dense urban district in central Calgary, Alberta. It contains the second largest concentration of head offices in Canada, despite only being the country's fourth largest city in terms of population. The downtown is divided in ...
from Riverfront Avenue during the 2013 Alberta floods (June 21, 2013)
File:Riverfront Ave Calgary Flood 2013.jpg, Riverfront Avenue in Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...
(June 21, 2013).
File:Centre Street Bridge Calgary Flood 2013.jpg, The Centre Street Bridge in Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...
(June 21, 2013).
File:Calgary MacLeod flooded.jpg, MacLeod Trail under water in Downtown Calgary
Downtown Calgary is a dense urban district in central Calgary, Alberta. It contains the second largest concentration of head offices in Canada, despite only being the country's fourth largest city in terms of population. The downtown is divided in ...
(June 2013).
Flooding in Okotoks
File:Okotoks_-_June_20,_2013_-_Flood_waters_by_32nd_street_bridge.JPG, Flood waters rush by the Okotoks 32nd Street bridge on the evening of June 20, 2013.
File:Okotoks_-_June_20,_2013_-_Flood_waters_in_local_campground_playground-03.JPG, Flood waters rush in from the Sheep River into a local Okotoks campground (June 20, 2013).
File:Okotoks_-_June_20,_2013_-_Flood_waters_in_local_campground.JPG, Flood waters from the Sheep River in Okotoks rush into the local campground (June 20, 2013).
File:Okotoks_-_June_20,_2013_-_Flood_waters_rush_past_library_foot_bridge.JPG, Viewpoint is on the south edge of the River Valley looking towards Okotoks library (June 20, 2013).
File:Okotoks_-_June_23,_2013_-_Flood_aftermath,_baseball_diamond_near_local_library.JPG, From the viewpoint of the north bank of the Sheep River, just east of the Okotoks library (June 23, 2013).
File:Okotoks_-_June_23,_2013_-_Local_campground_picnic_area_after_flood.JPG, The picnic and day use area of an Okotoks campground, once a grassy meadow, now in some places buried several feet deep in silt and rocks (June 23, 2013)
File:Okotoks_-_June_23,_2013_-_Local_campground_playground_after_flood.JPG, Swingset at Rich's Playground in Okotoks campground after flood waters receded (June 23, 2013)
File:Okotoks_-_June_23,_2013_-_Local_campground_playground_after_flood-02.JPG, Rich's Playground at Okotoks campground after flood water receded (June 23, 2013)
Notes
See also
*
2011 Slave Lake wildfire
*
2016 Fort McMurray wildfire
References
External links
*{{YouTube, Cq2feWfj8Lc, HAWCS Flying Over Calgary Flood (helicopter film by
Calgary Police Service, 58:02)
NASA Earth Observatory, ISERV observes flooding in CalgaryThe City of Calgary - Flood recovery
Alberta floods
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...
Floods
A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...
Canmore, Alberta
Drumheller
Floods in Canada
High River
History of Calgary
History of Lethbridge
Medicine Hat
Natural disasters in Alberta
Okotoks
Red Deer, Alberta