Global Courant
As flooding spread through West Central Alberta earlier this week, residents of Lower Robb, a hamlet 60 kilometers south of Yellowhead County, were told to evacuate immediately.
While the torrential rains were seen as a solution to fierce wildfires burning across the country, the downpour sent Canadian communities into a new state of emergency, prompting evacuations for the second time in June after wildfires displaced residents earlier this month.
“It’s been brutal,” Yellowhead County Mayor Wade Williams said in an interview with CTV National News. “We have roads that are washing away, we have bridges that are being compromised.”
Chantal Bustard, a resident of Yellowhead County, said her property was flooded within an hour Monday.
“You see your house and it just floods before your eyes, and it’s just… all your hard work is just gone,” Bustard told CTV News.
On Monday, the city of Edson declared a local state of emergency due to flooding, which resulted from more than 85 millimeters of rainfall.
In addition to extreme damage to infrastructure, a number of roads were closed as crews attempted to reduce further flood wreckage.
The Lower Robb evacuation notice was issued shortly before 6 p.m. Monday morning.
The order, released by Yellowhead County official siteasked residents not to drive through flooded areas, to steer clear of downed power lines, and to be careful of “slippery conditions.”
It also warned residents to prepare for power outages.
A shelter order was issued Tuesday morning for the hamlet of Peers, about 25 miles northeast of Edson.
Williams believes these measures were the right choice.
“I’m proud to stand here and say we haven’t had the loss of a single human life,” he said.
Officials remain uncertain about what the coming days will look like as the rain stopped on Tuesday afternoon.
Anyone affected by flooding in Alberta is urged to call the emergency hotline at 780-723-6300 during off-hours.
