Flooding in Canada, 100,000 homeless

22 June AFP

Flooding forced the evacuation of some 100,000 people in the western city of Calgary and nearby towns in the heart of the Canadian oil patch.

Schools were closed and the military sent in a dozen helicopters and 1,200 troops to help clear more than two dozen neighborhoods as heavy rains caused the Bow and Elbow Rivers in western Canada to overflow their banks.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi urged residents to gather their belongings and flee. He told them to expect to be away from their homes for a few days while police patrolled streets shouting evacuation orders over loudspeakers.

Electricity was cut in some parts of the city, and several roads and bridges were closed to traffic.

Firefighters swarmed residential neighborhoods, carrying stragglers out of homes through knee-high waters or in boats to safety.

A large swath of downtown that includes the iconic Saddledome, home of the National Hockey League Calgary Flames, and surrounding lands where the city was to host its annual Stampede rodeo in just 15 days, was flooded.

Damage was said to be extensive. Calgary resident Adam Klamar said all of the city's downtown was emptied of people by midday.

“It's pretty empty now,” he said by telephone. “The whole downtown is on lockdown, they're not letting anyone in or out, there's only one or two routes still open.” He said he has seen the odd person walking around, and a few cars drive by, but otherwise the city center is eerily quiet, with only the sounds of sirens heard against a backdrop of rain coming down.