Calgary looks back at the 2013 floods
Posted Jun 19, 2016 8:44 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Three years ago Sunday was the beginning of one of the worst natural disaster in southern Alberta history.
Torrential rain began to fall on June 19, 2013.
More than 200 millimetres came down in the Canmore area in two and a half days, which was ten times the usual amount for this time of year.
When it was done, flooding stretched from the mountain town of Canmore through to the hardest hit area of High River and into Calgary, where it caused billions in damage.
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi says it was the way people came together to help each other that inspired Neighbour Day which was held in several communities in the city Saturday.
“After the flood, a year later, we were talking about how we commemorate that, and I said “I don’t want to commemorate that I actually want to celebrate.” It sounds funny to celebrate a natural disaster, but it’s celebrating the community spirit that came out of it,” said Nenshi.
Upwards of 100,000 people were forced to flee their homes during the 2013 flood with some having to be rescued.
Five deaths were attributed to the high water.
Most repairs have been made to flood damaged areas, and rivers have been shored up to prevent future disasters, but the memory is still fresh in many people’s minds.
