Friday, June 21, 2013

Our city is flooded

We are in a state of emergency and total devastation in and around Calgary...

luckily we, ourselves, are in a pretty good area and at the moment... safe enough...but, many are not so lucky.

Here is a guy and his kitty that got really lucky.... just got out of that truck in the nick of time... it disappeared in seconds after this...


The highway is washed out between Alberta and British Columbia at a town just outside Calgary called Canmore ... you can check out the situation by googling Youtube and Canmore flooding...it is a disaster.... truckers are stranded ... people are stranded ... some houses are perched precariously now on the banks of what is usually a dry creek bed, and that usually is about 90 to 100 metres away from them, but, which became a raging torrent of water and huge trees and debris early in the morning yesterday... it dumped mountains of debris on the highway and totally washed out other areas.. unbelievable to see.

We are glued to the tv.... nothing much getting done... I went shopping for a few things and there was not one parking space at the mall and Safeway... it was worse than the worst day of Christmas shopping I've ever seen.  Plus...everybody seems crazy.  In a frenzy... the drivers are doing stupid moves...I was happy to just come back home immediately.   I will put some water in containers just in case.... the reservoir is already overflowing its banks and they are talking about opening the floodgates soon in order to prevent damage ...although, doing that is not going to be fun for those downstream and who are already in dire straits..... oh, man...it's bad...and all of a sudden it's happening right here instead of miles away .. ..

Mr. BV left for work at 5:00 a.m as usual.... and returned about 45 minutes later...after trying several different routes in to the city..only to discover they were blocked off by police and emergency workers...and ...in some areas... too much water to drive through.  Good thing he didn't get through... now they are in the process of evacuating the downtown core of the city.  There is 2 to 3 feet of water flowing through the streets...and now...they are also going to close the main road going from north to south in the city...the Deerfoot... people are stopping, like idiots...on the speediest road ... to take pictures.  There are signs all over that road... nobody stops on that road...ever. Today.. they are stopping and going in high speed traffic ...causing dangerous situations.  So.. police will close the route.

The La Farge plant is under water and there about 20 cement trucks parked on the Blackfoot just a block from here ... staying well above the mess...

The Douglasdale driving range I usually go to is well and truly under water...I can make out the tip of the roof of the ball shack and the outline of the tennis courts in the aerial shots on tv... folks on the outlying edges of that subdivision have been evacuated too...(as many as 100,000 people have already been evacuated here) I talked to two ladies just outside Safeway who were buying groceries to supply the families who took them in today.... whew.... what a situation ...
They said some Safeways are already running out of some supplies.... craziness..... and...

... the rain is still pounding down...

update::

here are more photos and videos....







10 comments:

Mary Ann Tate said...

OMG...I can't believe it! I was looking at some before and after pictures on Global.ca. What a mess. It will take a long time to clean up. Please take care:)

Terra said...

This is horrifying. I saw the story about the man and his cat, one spot of brightness in the dangerous flooding. Stay dry and safe, dear friend. Do you have some bottled water and candles and matches, just in case? Being in earthquake country we keep some supplies like that.

Unknown said...

I'm sorry to see that this is happening around you, but I'm so glad to hear that you're ok. Yes, people always start to panic buy in these situations. We all know that we should be prepared with a little stockpile of essentials and an emergency kit ... just in case. Even I have one and blog about it occasionally. Hope you've done the same, Vee. Take care girl! Hugs Sue

Dolores said...

Wow, it seems like it came on so sudden - with no warning. People have no time to prepare. What's the situation of the Glenbow Museum? I wonder what this will do to the Stampede - if it will affect it?
Stay safe!

Susan said...

Oh goodness, it is bad. Mother Nature certainly lets it all happen at times. It can be so scary and unsettling for people caught up in the flooding.
Keep dry Vee xx

Twiglet said...

We have seen pictures on the BBC news at lunchtime. It looks awful Vee. I hope you are safe and dry and that water/food supplies are OK. Thinking of you all. x Jo

Gwen Buchanan said...

V, This has been all over the news but it much more poignant when you write it.. it is real and actually happening. What a terrible thing. so scary! I hope you stay safe.

Jennifer Rose said...

its insane looking at the damage in photos :( stay safe

Serena Lewis said...

OMG!!! This is so much like our experience with our State of Queensland a year back...flooding, communities wiped out and also declared a state of emergency. I'm glad you're okay, Vee....we were in a lucky area too when the floods hit Brisbane. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the people in your region suffering this nightmare.

Btw, people went crazy here too. Shop shelves were literally empty of the staples such as milk, bread, bottled water etc. Supermarkets started rationing goods.

I'm so glad the cat and its owner reached safety. Yep, too many people ignore safety warnings and not only put their own lives at risk but also the lives of their rescuers.

Stay safe and dry! xo

Anonymous said...

Oh Vee,
I was thinking of you ... sent you an email. Now I'm reading your blog ... the devastation of the flood, unbelievable! I'm glad to hear that you were not affected. Please stay safe. Hugs.
Maria Vaz