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.