In the days leading up to June 19, 2013, parts of southern and central Alberta, Canada experienced heavy rainfall that triggered catastrophic flooding described by the provincial government as the worst in Alberta's history. Areas along the Bow, Elbow, Highwood, Red Deer, Sheep, Little Bow, and South Saskatchewan rivers and their tributaries were particularly affected. A total of 32 states of local emergency were declared and 28 emergency operations centres were activated as water levels rose and numerous communities were placed under evacuation orders.
Five people were confirmed dead as a direct result of the flooding and over 100,000 people were displaced throughout the region. Some 2,200 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) troops were deployed to help in flooded areas in addition to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Alberta Sheriffs Branch response. Total damage estimates exceeded billion and in terms of insurable damages, made the 2013 Alberta floods the costliest disaster in Canadian history at $1.7 billion, until the occurrence of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire. Receding waters gave way to a mammoth cleanup of affected areas, aided by a spontaneous volunteer campaign in which many homeowners were assisted by complete strangers.
Meteorology
Situated east of the Canadian Rockies, southern Alberta is a semi-arid region that does not usually receive high amounts of rainfall. Late June 2013, a high-pressure system in northern Alberta blocked the passage to a low-pressure area to the south. This blocked circulation and easterly winds pumped humidity on the rising slopes of the Rocky Mountains foothills, causing heavy rain to fall on the province with rainfall amounts of over in less than two days in many regions of the province, particularly west and southwest of Calgary. In Canmore, a town in Alberta's Rockies, over fell in just 36 hours between 19 and 21 June, nearly half of the town's annual average rainfall. In the town of High River, rainfall amounts at one weather station recorded 325 millimetres (12.8 in) in less than 48 hours. The rain falling on already saturated ground, coupled with the steep watershed and heavy snow loads remaining in the front ranges of the Rocky Mountains, resulted in a rapid increase in the size and flow of several rivers.
At the peak of the flooding, the Bow and Elbow rivers were flowing through Calgary at three times their peak levels from a 2005 flood that caused million in damages. Within 48 hours, by 8 a.m. MDT on June 21, the flow rate on the Bow River had reached 1,458 cubic metres (51,489 cubic ft.) per second (m3/s), five times its normal rate for this time of the year. The Elbow and Highwood rivers reached flow rates of 544 m3/s (inside Calgary) and 734 m3/s respectively, ten times their averages for this time of year. According to data tracked by Alberta's Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Resource Development,This June 18, 2013, story covered concerns about the typical "low flow in Alberta s rivers, particularly the Old Man, Bow and Red Deer rivers during the summer."Premier Redford created the Environment and Sustainable Resource Development (ESRB) formerly known as the Ministry of Environment and Water on May 8, 2012. "in the space of a day or two, the flows of the three rivers rocketed up five to 10 times their normal rates."
Impact
Government officials called the flooding the worst in Alberta's history.
By June 24, 2013, some 2,200 Canadian Forces (CF) troops had been deployed to help in flooded areas. Land Force Western Area brought in Coyote reconnaissance vehicles, Bison armoured vehicles, G-Wagen Jeeps, and other military vehicles.
As communities began to flood and people became displaced, area residents mobilized to offer support and assistance to evacuees and emergency response personnel. Some volunteers and several police officers worked up to 20 hours to help evacuation efforts despite knowing their own homes had been damaged or completely washed away. While coverage of the flooding spread throughout social media sites, many people and businesses also took to Facebook and Twitter to open their homes up to neighbours and strangers who did not have other places to stay or offer whatever support they could.
Calgary
In Calgary, Alberta's largest city, 26 neighbourhoodsAffected neighbourhoods included Beltline, Bonnybrook, Bowness, Bridgeland Industrial Area, Chinatown/Eau Claire, Cliff Bungalow, Deer Run, Discovery Ridge, Douglasdale, Downtown/East Village, Elbow Park, Erlton, Inglewood, Hillhurst, Mission, Montgomery, Quarry Park, Rideau Park, Riverbend, Riverdale, Roxboro, Stanley Park/Elboya, Sunnyside, Victoria Park, Westmount and Windsor Park in the vicinity of the Bow and Elbow rivers were placed under a mandatory evacuation order on June 20 and 21 as the rivers spilled over their banks and flooded communities. Affecting 75,000 people, it was the largest evacuation order in the city's history. The city's downtown core was among the areas evacuated, as officials called for a "Neighbour Day" on June 21 and requested people to stay home, particularly the 350,000 people who work downtown. All schools in both the public and Catholic school districts were closed and officials urged residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
On June 21, the Bow River had reached a record high water level of . That same day, the river also reached a record high flow rate of .
Through social media,A highly detailed Google Map was updated to include neighbourhoods under mandatory evacuation and to show information such as the hydrology of the Bow and Elbow River systems. websites and blogsThe City of Calgary constantly updated their blog . with updated contributions from the Calgary's mayor,Mayor Nenshi is well known for his effective use of social media. numerous city councillors,The City of Calgary's Facebook account was also widely used. the Calgary Police, media at all levels, and numerous Calgarians with Twitter,Twitter hashtags included #yycflood, #abflood. Flickr and Facebook accounts, the flood was well-covered.While the Calgary Police's Twitter account was locked when it reached its daily limit , this was temporary and there were numerous other options.
The city's largest indoor arena, the Scotiabank Saddledome, was among the facilities damaged as flood waters were reported to have filled up to the first ten rows of the lower seating bowl. The Calgary Stampede grounds adjacent to the arena were also severely flooded, less than two weeks before the scheduled opening of the annual exhibition and rodeo, however officials vowed the event would go on.
While emergency officials began to announce the partial lifting of some evacuation orders on June 22, Mayor Naheed Nenshi stated that it would be several days before power could be restored to the downtown core. City workers, assisted by Canadian Forces personnel from The Calgary Highlanders, reinforced a particularly large erosion of river bank near 8th Avenue S.E., which endangered several houses in the neighbourhood of Inglewood.
Calgary's central business district, home to many of Canada's oil company headquarters, remained inaccessible until June 26. A spokesman for Imperial Oil, Canada's second-largest producer and refiner, said the company was working on plans to maintain essential operations, including allowing employees to work from other locations. Shorcan Energy Brokers, which provides live prices for many Canadian crude grades, operated out of Toronto on June 21 rather than at its usual Calgary base, although no trades in either Western Canada Select heavy blend or light synthetic crude from the oil sands were executed. Net Energy Inc, the other main Calgary crude broker, was closed on Friday, June 21, and there was no trading.
As the water began to recede, the city lifted evacuation orders for several communities. It allowed 65,000 residents to return to their homes and business on June 23 to assess for damage, but parts of 14 communities remained off-limits.
On June 27, the Bonnybrook Bridge collapsed under the weight of a Canadian Pacific Railway freight train. One of the pilings of the 101-year-old rail bridge had been scoured by floodwaters on the Bow River and undermined. CPR officials said that because the scour occurred underwater, they had not been able to inspect it, due to river conditions. However, rail regulations require the ability to inspect underwater. The buckled bridge caused the train to derail. As the train was carrying hazardous petrochemicals, an evacuation was ordered for the local area and regions downstream, and the train was slowly pumped dry.
High River
South west of Calgary, the town of High River was evacuated after flooding of the Highwood River caused water to rise over the top of vehicles in the town's main streets and necessitated the rescue of over 150 people from the rooftops of their homes. 350 Canadian Forces personnel and 80 Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers were dispatched to assist with rescue efforts. Members of the Alberta Sheriffs Branch were also involved in this effort. All 13,000 residents of High River were ordered to evacuate on June 20, and the community was largely abandoned within three days as the town suffered what local officials called "unprecedented" damage. Among internationally recognized sites flooded in High River was the "Maggie's Diner" standing set for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) series Heartland.
During the state of emergency in High River, the RCMP entered numerous homes in the area and seized hundreds of firearms, along with magazines and ammunition. Although the RCMP claimed that it only seized firearms that were in plain view, many residents have complained that their firearms were well hidden, and that the RCMP caused significant damage inside homes while searching for firearms. There are further complaints that RCMP members subjected homes to second or even third searches in their quest for firearms in plain view. The Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP concluded that the RCMP had exceeded its authority by seizing firearms that were properly secured or not in plain view, by not keeping proper records of the damage caused when they broke into homes, and by failing to report the seizure of firearms to a justice of the peace. The report concluded that, although they were not legally required to do so, communicating adequately with the public during the crisis would have prevented much confusion among partners and anger among residents.
While residents of other communities were returning and beginning their cleanup, High River remained off limits a week after the flooding first hit. Residents grew increasingly frustrated at what they perceived as a lack of communication from local officials, particularly the lack of a timeline to return. Officials argued the town remained unsafe; some residences remained accessible only to divers, while E. coli had been discovered in the water.
The neighbourhood of Beechwood estates, with many luxury homes worth over a million dollars, was among those hard hit by the flood. The Province of Alberta decided to purchase 94 homes in designated floodways (including the 32 in Beechwood), demolish most of them and return the area to its natural state as a floodplain. Twenty-six of the houses were auctioned off for relocation.
Southern Alberta
The mountain towns of Banff and Canmore, west of Calgary, were cut off from neighbouring communities after flooding and mudslides forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway. Several homes were swept away in Canmore by the rise of Cougar Creek.