Rising flood waters in Calgary have prompted the mandatory evacuation of 26 low-lying communities.
Gas and power are being shut off in these neighbourhoods and residents are being asked to leave immediately.
For a comprehensive list of affected city services, including a list of neighbourhoods under evacuation orders, check the City of the Calgary blog.
The following neighbourhoods are under a mandatory evacuation order as of 6:30 a.m. Friday.
- 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
- Riverbend
- Riverdale
- Roxboro
- Stanley Park/Elboya
- Sunnyside
- Victoria Park
- Westmount
- Windsor Park
City official say residents do not need to inform police that they are leaving their homes, but should mark their front doors with a large 'X' that is visible from the road. People who need assistance being rescued should contact police.
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Flooding In Southern Alberta, June 20, 21
Evacuees who cannot arrange to stay with family or friends can find shelter, food and bedding at the following locations:
- Village Square Leisure Centre, 2623 56 St. NE
- South Fish Creek Recreation Complex, 100 333 Shawville Blvd. SE
- Central Memorial High School, 5111 21 St. SW
- William Aberhart High School, 3009 Morley Tr. NW
- St. Francis High School, 877 Northmount Dr. NW
Calgarians are reminded that Southland Leisure Centre and Acadia Recreation Complex are at capacity.
People can take their pets to the Animal Service Centre at 2201 Portland St. S.E. or The Calgary Humane Society at 4455 110 Ave. S.E.
Centre Street Church, 3900 - 2 Street, N.E. is open as a day resource.
People are also asked to remain off phone lines to avoid overloading the telephone system.
The University of Calgary is closed on Friday, as are all schools under the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) and the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD.)
The lastest updates from the CBE can be found here, and the CCSD here.
The city is asking Calgarians to limit water use as much as possible with the steps:
- Limit showers to five minutes and keep baths shallow
- Use washing machines and dishwashers only when absolutely necessary and only with full loads
- Turn off taps when brushing teeth or shaving
- Reduce toilet flushing
All hospitals in Calgary remain open, with the exception of the Sheldon M. Chumir Urgent Care Centre in the Beltline.
Calgary Transit reported a number of cancelled routes and detours Friday morning, and have closed all C-Train service in the downtown core.
From the City Of Calgary:
There is no Calgary Transit service in the area bordered on the north by 16 Avenue N, east by Deerfoot Trail, south by Glenmore Trail and to the west by 14 Street W.
No buses are running on regular bus routes within this area. Shuttles have been set up for C-Train replacement. They are entering this area but are not stopping to board or unload passengers.
C-Train replacement shuttles are only operational at certain stations.
Many roads and bridges around Calgary have been closed to drivers and pedestrians. Read our full list here.
A number of buildings in the downtown core have also been closed and the downtown core is under mandatory evacuation.
The following major events have been cancelled:
- Sled Island Music and Arts Festival
- Park Market/1 Street Market Walk
- Go Skateboarding Day
- Wing Kei Walkathon
- Allied Memorial Remembrance Ride
- Remington Race for Pace 2013
- Aboriginal Awareness Week
- Enbridge Ride To Conquer Cancer
- MEC Paddlefest
The areas around Airdrie, Cochrane, Banff and Canmore remain under rainfall warning, with an additional 10 to 25 millimetres expected to fall by late afternoon. Environment Canada predicts the rain will taper off tonight and into Saturday.
For more information about the Alberta floods and weather, check Environment Canada and Alberta Emergency Alerts.