State of Local Emergency - Update 10 a.m., Saturday, June 22

The City of Calgary remains in a state of local emergency due to significant flooding.

Safety remains our number one priority and citizens are advised to stay away from rivers, flooded areas and bridges. Rivers continue to be fast flowing and water can be deceptively deep in areas.

Call 311 for flood-related calls only. Call 911 in case of emergency.

Water

Calgary’s water quality remains good and there is no need to boil water. Tap water is clean and safe to drink. However, there is continued need to control the amount of water we are using and Calgarians are asked to adhere to the following:

Limit showers to five minutes and keep baths shallow

Reduce toilet flushing

Use washing machines and dishwashers only if necessary and only with full loads

Turn off taps when brushing teeth or shaving

Don’t water your lawns and ensure that sprinklers on timers are turned off

Don’t wash your vehicle

Getting Around

Flooding continues to impact roads, bridges, signals, pathways and transit service. For up-to-date information on Calgary transit service, please visit calgarytransit.com.

The downtown restricted access zone has been expanded to include 11 Avenue and 12 Avenue between 14 Street on the west all the way to Centre Street on the east due to signal outages. Access to the downtown core is not expected to resume until mid-next week. We continue to assess the situation downtown where considerable flooding remains. As assessment continues, there may be access to specific sites as safety and conditions permit.

While we are making all efforts, significant road and bridge closures are expected to remain for the next few days. If you can stay home, please do so.

The City is asking all citizens to help the authorities who are responding to this emergency by observing these restrictions:

Pedestrians are asked to stay off all bridges.

Do not use the phone unless you are requesting help or reporting an important event. Unnecessary phone calls could overload the telephone system and limit the authorities' ability to communicate.

Reception Centres

A number of reception centres for evacuees have been set up across the city. Currently, the following centres have capacity to accept evacuees:

Acadia Recreation Complex (240 90 Ave. S.E.)

Village Square Leisure Centre (2623 56 St. N.E.)

Central Memorial High School (5111 21 St. S.W.)

Southland Leisure Centre (2000 Southland Dr SW)

St. Francis High School (877 Northmount Dr. N.W.) Registrations only, no lodging

Centre Street Church (3900 2 St NE) Registrations only, no lodging

Please note that the reception centre at Canada Olympic Park/Winsport will no longer be in service as of 10:00 am Saturday. Evacuees are being relocated to Village Square Leisure Centre.

Re-entry to Mandatory Evacuation Communities

Earlier this morning, the mandatory evacuation for a portion of the high-ground area in Discovery Ridge was lifted. Visit Calgary.ca to view the Discovery Ridge map identifying areas approved re-entry. Mandatory evacuations remain in place for the lower ground areas in Discovery Ridge as well as all the other communities previously identified.

We recognize the impact evacuations have on citizens and are doing everything we can to ensure residents are able to return home safely as soon as possible.

We are continuously assessing evacuated communities to determine when residents may be able to return home. Some of the returns may be whole communities at once while others may be partial as with Discovery Ridge. Safety is our priority and evacuations will not be lifted until the area is fully accessible by emergency services and power to the area fully restored.

We ask residents to stay tuned to media reports and visit Calgary.ca for more information.

Donations

The City appreciates the outpouring of donations and offers to volunteer from Calgarians. However, all reception centres have established food and other required supplies, and cannot accept non-City volunteers at this time. Thank you all for your generosity and putting citizens first. Monetary donations can be made to Red Cross 1-800-418-1111 or at www.redcross.ca.

The Canadian Red Cross has established a phone number to assist Calgarians with connecting to family members who have been displaced. Contact the Red Cross at: 1-866-696-6484.

We thank Calgarians for their continued cooperation as we continue to evaluate areas.

Calgary remains in a state of emergency and we ask everyone to remain vigilant. Visit Calgary.ca for the latest information or follow us on Twitter @cityofcalgary

Please visit www.calgary.ca for current information.