Calgary, AB,
22
June
2013
|
14:00
America/Denver
State of Local Emergency - Update 2 p.m., Saturday, June 22
The City of Calgary remains in a state of local emergency due to significant flooding.
Safety remains the number one priority for the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) and partner agencies. Citizens are advised to continue 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. There is no need to boil water as the water from your tap is clean and safe to drink. Our water treatment plants are fully operational, however systems continue to be challenged to meet demand for water.
As a result, city-wide mandatory outdoor water restriction was issued this morning under the Water Utility Bylaw for the city of Calgary. Effective immediately and until further notice, the use of tap water outdoors is suspended. The following outdoor activities are prohibited:
Washing outdoor surfaces, exterior building surfaces, sidewalks, driveways, or walkways of any sort.
Watering of lawns, gardens, trees and shrubs by any method; also ensure that sprinklers on timers are turned off.
Using water for filling outdoor decorative features, fountains, pools or hot tubs.
Using water for construction purposes such as grading or compaction.
There are exceptions to the Water Utility Bylaw. They include:
Washing outdoor surfaces for health and safety reasons for childcare facilities, food and beverage establishments and kennel and animal care facilities.
Washing of vehicles to follow health and safety regulations.
Watering of plants, shrubs and trees offered for sale.
Businesses that have a license to operate exterior window washing services and car washes.
Calgarians can continue to use rain water captured in a rain barrel to water outdoors.
The City of Calgary continues to restrict non-essential water use for its own operations.
In addition The City of Calgary continues to request that Calgarians, businesses and regional customers in Strathmore, Chestermere and Airdrie continue to restrict indoor tap water use.
Limit toilet flushing.
Limit showers to five minutes or less and keep baths shallow.
Hold off on doing laundry.
Only use your dishwasher if absolutely necessary and you have a full load.
Turn off taps when brushing teeth or shaving.
Don’t wash your vehicle.
The downtown restricted access zone has been expanded to include 11 Avenue and 12 Avenue between 14 Street on the west 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.
Earlier this morning, the mandatory evacuation was lifted for a portion of the high-ground area in Discovery Ridge. Visit Calgary.ca to view the Discovery Ridge map identifying areas approved for 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 for whole communities at once while others may be partial, such 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 and utilities to the area are fully restored.
We ask residents to stay tuned to media reports and visit Calgary.ca for more information.
Power and Utilities
CEMA and our partners are working as quickly as possible to restore power and utilities where it is safe to do so.
Approximately 30,000 Enmax customers are still without power. Enmax has taken extra steps to shore up supply to critical customers like hospitals.
The TransAlta website is now updating with dam and reservoir information for people who are interested in finding out more about water flows and water levels on rivers.
Getting Around
Flooding continues to impact roads, bridges, signals, pathways and transit service. For up-to-date information on Calgary transit service, please visit the Calgary Transit website.
Everyone is reminded to be aware of all hazards related to flooding. Not all of these hazards may be clearly visible. Avoid all open water on roadways and pathways, even it if looks shallow, as there may be open holes or uneven surfaces underneath.
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.
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)
Centre Street Church (3900 2 St. NE) Registrations only, no lodging
Please note that the reception centre at Canada Olympic Park/Winsport is no longer in service as of 10 a.m. Saturday. Evacuees are being relocated to Village Square Leisure Centre.
Calgary Zoo
The Calgary Zoo will remain closed for the next two weeks. Two animals were relocated to the conservation centre south of the city and two small animals are at The City's animal shelter. All other animals are safe and secure onsite and are being monitored and cared for continually.
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 your 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.