Almost 75,000 people in Alberta were forced to evacuate their homes after heavy rains and rising water levels caused rivers to tear through communities in the southern region of Canada on Friday.
In the city of Calgary, Mayor Naheed Nenshi told CNN that he was stunned by the amount of water causing damage to homes and municipalities.
"In my lifetime, I have never seen flooding like this," Nenshi said.
According to authorities in the area, citizens in nearly 25 neighborhoods were moved to higher ground successfully Thursday night. There have not been any fatalities or deaths reported thus far.
Most of Calgary-a city with a population of one million people, best known for its yearly Calgary Stampede rodeo-including its downtown area, was nearly up to its neck in water.
A slow-moving storm caused the immense flooding, pouring more than six inches of rain on the area from Wednesday to Thursday. Another inch of rain is expected in Calgary on Friday, with yet another bout of heavy rainfall projected to arrive on Monday.
Mayor Nenshi requested citizens steer clear of the area, partially to clear out avenues for emergency workers, CNN reported.
The city was wrought with power outages, while a handful of shelters were stuffed to the brim with displaced Canadians. All schools in Calgary were closed due to the weather emergency.
Flooding has worsened in some agricultural portions of southern Alberta, striking down on towns like High River and Canmore ruthlessly.
In the mountain town Canmore, weather authorities declared a state of emergency, CNN reported.
"Everything, everything is destroyed there-our homes, like everything," resident Melanie Atkinson told Canadian news service CBC.
To save people from their homes and places of businesses, rescue crews took to construction apparatuses-cranes and military helicopters assisted in moving citizens from the High River area on Thursday.
Most bridges were sealed off as water levels steadily rose. The city's zoo also closed for the time being and animals were moved to safer areas.
The damaged homes and businesses lay in pools of water for now, lost among the muddy bursts of river shooting from the banks.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with those families who have been affected by the serious flooding in Calgary and Southern Alberta," Prime Minister Stephen Harper told CNN. He also mentioned that the government would be willing to give "any and all possible assistance."
© 2025 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
