Calgary, AB,
22
June
2013
|
21:00
America/Denver
Two more communities open
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.
As of 8 p.m. today, two additional communities are partially cleared to reopen. Residents can return home and businesses are cleared to resume operations.
In the community of Hillhurst (1,568 homes), all homes except two are opened. In Bridgeland (1,213 homes), all homes west of 4 Street and east of 9 Street are reopened. Homes between 4 Street and 9 Street are still under evacuation.
The communities of Quarry Park (156 homes), Riverbend (42 homes), Deer Run (444 homes) and Douglasdale (five homes) were reopened earlier today.
All evacuated communities are being assessed by teams of emergency response and utilities professionals. The teams consider public safety, community and emergency access, withdrawal of overland flood water and if power and gas can be safely restored.
The City is also assessing buildings in the downtown core to determine accessibility. Earlier today, The City expanded the local access zone in the downtown core. Local access will now be allowed in the area north of the CPR tracks to 6 Avenue S.W. and west of 2 Street S.W. It also includes the area south of the CPR tracks and west of 7 Street S.W.
Some areas of the downtown core remain under evacuation (Beltline, downtown/East Village, Chinatown/Eau Claire, and Victoria Park). Some areas are also under restrictions with access to local traffic only.
The City and our partners are working to return residents to their homes as quickly as possible. We want to thank Calgarians for your continued cooperation and patience as we continue to assess areas.