An estimated 100,000 western Canada residents could be sent packing, as heavy flooding and mudslides have wreaked havoc across much of the country and waters aren’t expected to start subsiding until Saturday.
Mudslides on Thursday shut down the Trans-Canada Highway, leaving residents of two resort communities, Banff and Canmore, completely isolated and cut from emergency responders, The Associated Press reported.
Torrential rains in southern Alberta washed away roads and bridges. At least one person has been reported missing, and those who have escaped have lost their possessions. A common sight: Floating cars, couches and even refrigerators, AP said.
Calgary, a community of about a million, has been hit hard. Officials said most of the residents will be evacuated over the next few days.
Weather forecasters say the water will hit its highest mark about noon on Friday, but waters won’t start subsiding until at least Saturday.
“I woke up at about three o’clock in the morning to the sound of this kind of rumbling, and it was the creek,” said one Canmore resident, in the AP report. “At first it was just intense, pretty powerful, amazing thing to watch. As daylight came, it just got bigger and bigger and wider and wider, and it’s still getting bigger and bigger and wider and wider. I watched a refrigerator go by. I watched a shed go by. I watched couches go by. It’s insane.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.