11 p.m., June 20, 2013
Mandatory Evacuation Further Extended
A state of local emergency has been declared for the city of Calgary due to the potential of significant flooding. The level of the Elbow and Bow Rivers continue to rise at a rapid pace.
Portions of the following communities are facing mandatory evacuations. Visit Calgary.ca to view maps that identify the perimeters of areas required to evacuate. If you are in an identified area, please self-evacuate immediately.
Beltline
Bonnybrook
Bowness
Bridgeland Industrial Area
Chinatown/Eau Claire
Cliff Bungalow
Deer Run
Discovery Ridge
Downtown/East Village
Elbow Park
Erlton
Inglewood
Hillhurst
Mission
Montgomery
Quarry Park
Rideau
Riverbend
Riverdale
Roxboro
Stanley Park/Elboya
Sunnyside
Victoria Park
Westmount
Windsor Park
While evacuating, residents are asked to:
• notify their neighbours before evacuating their homes
• mark an ‘X’ on their own front doors visible from the street for uniformed personnel (CPS and CFD) to confirm that the area has been evacuated
What you should do
Pack enough clothes, prescription medicine, personal identification and other essential items to last at least one week. Arrange for you, your family and your pets to stay with friends or relatives. Evacuees who cannot arrange for alternate accommodation will be provided with food, shelter, bedding and other essential services at one of these reception centres:
Southland Leisure Centre, 2000 Southland Drive SW
Acadia Recreation Complex A, 240 90 Ave SE
Centre Street Church, 3900 - 2 Street, NE
Village Square Leisure Centre, 2623 56 Street NE
South Fish Creek Recreation Centre, 333 Shawville Blvd SE (please access through west doors)
People can take their pets to the Animal Service Centre, 2201 Portland St. S.E. or The Calgary Humane Society, 4455 110th Ave SE, if they cannot arrange accommodation for them.
Recommended Measures
The City of Calgary advises residents in the affected areas to minimize the potential flood damage by taking the following measures:
• If you are in the flood evacuation zone, do not worry about turning off electricity or gas. Enmax and Atco will turn off power and gas in the areas, as necessary.
• Install the cap in the basement sewer floor drain if you don't have a mechanical back flow prevention device in place.
• Move valuables such as photographs and personal and legal documents, from the basement or a lower floor to an upper floor.
• Remove newspapers from basements because wet newspaper can stain carpets with ink
• Listen to local radio and television stations for further updates.
• Visit The City of Calgary’s website for information, at www.calgary.ca.
Emergency Response
The City is asking all citizens to help the authorities who are responding to this emergency by observing these restrictions:
• Do not drive to the affected areas unless you are involved in the emergency response. Extra traffic will prevent the authorities from responding quickly. 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.
Call 311 only for flood related calls. Call 911 in case of emergency. Please visit Calgary.ca for current information.
10:45 p.m., June 20, 2013 Calgary School Closures in effect
On Friday June 21, 2013 ALL SCHOOLS for both the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District will be closed due to ongoing flooding issues in Calgary and region.
The Calgary Board of Education schools are contained within the limits of the city boundaries. The Calgary Catholic School District includes the communities of Chestermere, Airdrie and Cochrane. Catholic schools in these communities will also be closed on Friday June 21.
Further information will be posted on the school board websites tomorrow and throughout the weekend.
Parents of students not part of these boards are encourage to contact their schools directly to determine if they will be open tomorrow.