Parts of Alberta being evacuated due to overland flooding

Apr 25 2018, 10:43 pm

The warm weather we’ve been enjoying in Alberta this past week may have brought an end to the harsh snows, but it’s also causing some serious flooding around the province.

As temperatures warm up, all that piled-up snow is melting at an alarming rate, causing rivers throughout Alberta to rise.

The flooding has gotten so bad that the community of Wayne in Drumheller is under a mandatory evacuation order, and many other communities have been issued flood warnings from the Alberta Emergency Alert system.

According to a release from the Government of Alberta, flood watches are currently in effect for Kneehills, Lasthill, and Threehills creeks, along with the Rosebud, Little Red Deer, and Medicine rivers.

A high streamflow advisory is currently active for Red Deer River just downstream of the City of Red Deer, and river ice advisories are in effect for Peace River from Sunny Valley to Fort Vermillion and for Athabsca River from Athabasca to Fort McMurray.

A total of 17 municipalities have received some form of flood alert, according to the release:

  • Red Deer County
  • MD of Taber
  • Town of Beiseker
  • Wheatland County
  • Village of Rycroft
  • Saddle Lake County
  • Town of Drumheller
  • Birch Hills County
  • MD of Smoky River
  • Kneehill County
  • MD of Greenview
  • Forty Mile County
  • Siksika Nation
  • MD of Fairview
  • Village of Stirling
  • Rocky View County
  • Vulcan County

Drivers in the area should note that Highway 628 from Highway 60 to RR 280, Highway 10X from Bridge #2 to Twp Road 280, Highway 873 from RR 161 to RR 162 west of Highway 36, Highway 842 from Twp Road 250 to Highway 564, and Shouldice Road west of Highway 842 and south of Cluny are all currently closed.

Please pay attention to closure notices if you must be on the roads in these areas.

See also
DH Calgary StaffDH Calgary Staff

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