21 June 2010

Medicine Hat Swamped by Floods

A CP train track collapsed into a flooded creek in Medicine Hat during heavy rain. CP workers are lining it with rocks to prevent it from further collapse - CBC photo.

Medicine Hat Alberta - After days of evacuations, flooded basements, and washed-out businesses, the tributaries that feed the swollen South Saskatchewan River are receding.
 
However, Andy McGrogan, the assistant duty director with the Medicine Hat Police said that with more rain expected to fall in the next few days, it's too soon to lift a state of emergency in the town of 60,000.
 
"We actually had a very stable night last night. The South Saskatchewan River level is rising but it's rising very slowly," he said. The river runs through the city's downtown. During the last major floods in 1995 and 2005, the river overran its banks, flooding major streets and harming infrastructure.
 
In addition, parts of the TransCanada highway are still covered in water and it remains closed between Medicine Hat and the Saskatchewan border.
 
The floods also washed out parts of the railway. A contractor who has surveyed the damage said on Sunday that parts of the track are still submerged and workers can't yet even fully assess the damage. However, rail traffic will likely be re-routed for at least another week.
 
Officials are further concerned as the spring run off has yet to melt.
 
"Right now we're saying the situation is stable but believe that may be temporary because of the expected rainfall tonight," McGrogan said.
 
Jen Gerson.