Five years after the 2013 Southern Alberta flood, Calgarians demonstrate resiliency

Five years ago, heavy rains fell on a melting snowpack upstream of our city, sending water rushing towards Calgary and other Southern Alberta communities. City officials issued a flood warning, declared a state of emergency and gave an evacuation notice for communities at risk. Evacuees and citizens whose homes and businesses were flooded faced trauma and loss.

Mike Eberhard, Kim Myers and Kathryn Hatch experienced flooding and evacuation. What they also have in common is a strong connection to their communities and their homes, and the desire to find a way to manage future flood risks.

After they completed work to remove the flood debris from their properties, they decided they were going to take steps to ensure if another flood happened, they would be prepared. Watch their exceptional stories to learn what actions they took, demonstrating remarkable determination and resiliency.

Building flood-resilient communities is a top priority for the City of Calgary. We cannot prevent river flooding but we are working with citizens, and our provincial and federal partners to reduce its impact. Together with the Province, we have committed more than $150-million towards projects that have reduced our risk of river flood damage by approximately one-third since 2013. We are working towards full implementation of our strategy, which includes a combination of measures at the property-, community- and watershed-level that all work together to protect Calgary against another flood the size of 2013.

Citizens have a critical role to play in preparing for river flooding and protecting their property. Calgary is most at risk of river flooding from May 15 to July 15. River flooding impacts all Calgarians – whether you live, work, commute or recreate along the Bow or Elbow Rivers, or in the city centre – it’s important for every Calgarian to understand their flood risk, be prepared and stay informed. Citizens can learn more at calgary.ca/floodinfo, search their address online to see if they are at risk from flooding, sign up for our bi-weekly flood readiness e-newsletter, download our Flood Readiness Guide and learn how to prepare a 72-hour emergency kit.

Flood season: understand, be prepared and stay informed

Flooding can occur at any time in Calgary, although the period between May 15 and July 15 is when we are most likely to experience flooding. Historically, this is when we experience our largest widespread rainfalls.

How does flooding occur?

Flooding in Calgary can happen in several ways:

• Rivers and streams cannot contain excessive rainfall within their banks.
• Rain and snowmelt cannot be absorbed into the ground.
• Waterways or storm drains become blocked with debris or ice.
• Water containment systems, such as stormwater or sewage pipes, are overloaded or break, causing backup.
• Severe thunderstorms cause localized flooding of streets and property.
• Ice jams on rivers may cause elevated water levels and overland flooding.

Calgary sits at the confluence of two small rivers, the Bow River and the Elbow River, and several smaller creeks. The Bow River has a large watershed drainage area and drops from the mountains to the city at a steep slope. The Elbow River also drops in elevation at a steep slope and so it is a relatively short trip from the mountains to where it meets with the Bow River in the heart of Calgary.

Having two short and steep river systems means that fast changes to high flow rates can reach Calgary rapidly with little warning.

Weather conditions can also change rapidly. Calgary’s proximity to the Rocky Mountains makes accurate weather forecasting a challenge. Weather forecasters have a tough time predicting how weather systems will behave once they reach conditions surrounding the mountains.

What we’re doing to prepare

The City of Calgary’s priority when planning for and responding to flooding is to protect its citizens, critical infrastructure, civic property, the environment and the economy.

The City prepares annually for flooding by:

• Developing and maintaining emergency response plans. 
• Conducting training sessions and exercises for City personnel. 
• Identifying those areas of the city and critical infrastructure that are most vulnerable to flooding. 
• Ensuring adequate emergency resources are in place. 
• Sharing information with Calgarians, businesses, stakeholders and other municipalities. 
• Operating existing infrastructure, such as dams, reservoirs and outfall gates, to reduce flow rates and mitigate flood damage. 

The City strives to maintain all critical business functions and services to Calgarians during any emergency or disaster including flooding. The City cannot prevent or mitigate all flood risk to all private properties. Property owners remain responsible for protecting their property.

What you can do to prepare

The first step towards protecting yourself is to know your flood risk and the sources of information available to you:

• Visit calgary.ca/floodinfo to understand your flood risk, and for detailed information on how you can be prepared for flood season. You can also download a copy of the Flood Readiness Guide.
• Prepare your 72-hour emergency kit. This kit holds supplies to support you and your family for three days in an emergency situation. 
• Visit Alberta Environment’s river basin website and download the river monitoring app by searching for "Alberta Rivers" on your device.
• Listen for and sign up for Alberta Emergency Alerts (AEA). Alberta Emergency Alerts interrupt local broadcasting. As well, you can download the AEA app to a smart device to receive notifications.

Zoo Flood Mitigation Project – Upcoming information sessions

Calgarians are invited to an open house on Thursday, October 8, to learn more about the Zoo Flood Mitigation project.

The project will protect the zoo against future flooding, preserving one of Calgary’s greatest assets, and ensuring that the zoo will be able to teach and delight Calgarians and visitors for generations to come.

The project includes flood protection measures such as below-ground steel sheets, above-ground berms, and a pumping system.

Construction on the project is anticipated to begin in December, 2015, and will require closing Zoo Road over the next two winters (approx. December 2015 – June 2016 and September 2016 – June 2017). Zoo Road will re-open during the summer months, and the Calgary Zoo will be open and operating as usual throughout construction.

About the Open House
Date: Thursday, October 8
Time: 5-8 p.m.
Location: The Alexandra Centre (922 9 Ave S.E.)
Parking: Street parking and bike racks available

At the open house, citizens will be provided with project details, including:

• Renderings of the planned barriers
• Anticipated construction timelines
• Impacts to traffic and associated detours
• Project alignment with 12 Street S.E. bridge replacement 

Staff from The City of Calgary and the Calgary Zoo will be in attendance to answer questions and address concerns.

For more details on the project or the information session, please visit calgary.ca/ZooFloodProject