Intense Flooding In Alberta, Canada Forces 100K Residents To Evacuate

Heavy rains in Alberta, Canada through Wednesday and Thursday have caused intense flooding and have forced evacuations of between 75,000 and 100,000 residents in the city of Calgary alone.

According to a report from CNN, a slow-moving storm dumped more than six inches of rain in the area over the past two days. Forecasters expect another inch of rain to fall on Friday. Another storm front is expected Monday, bringing along with it the threat of more rain and additional flooding.

"In my lifetime I have never seen flooding like this," Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi told reporters on Friday.

Portions of Calgary, including the downtown area are under water as of Friday morning. Rural areas in Alberta including towns like High River and Canmore have also been hit with floods leading Canmore officials to declare a state of emergency. Also in Canmore, the intense flooding has torn out a section of the Trans-Canada Highway.

CBC News in Canada reports that mandatory evacuations were taking place over Thursday night and additional evacuations are expected to occur over the next few days.

Evacuation orders are currently in effect for more than 25 neighborhoods and as the orders expand, officials in Calgary continue to open additional emergency shelters for displaced families. Evacuations have reportedly affected up to 100,000 residents so far.

Evacuation orders currently cover the following communities: Beltline, Bonnybrook, Bowness, Bridgeland Industrial Area, Chinatown, Eau Claire, Cliff Bungalow, Deer Run, Discovery Ridge, Downtown, East Village, Elbow Park, Erlton, Inglewood, Hillhurst, Mission, Montgomery, Quarry Park, Rideau, Riverbend, Riverdale, Roxboro, Stanley Park, Elboya, Sunnyside, Victoria Park, Westmount and Windsor Park.

Many neighborhoods are shut even to local traffic as officials encourage residents to head out of the area only.

Officials in Calgary are telling residents to find shelter with friends or family outside of the affected area for at least the next 72 hours. For residents who do not have anybody to stay with, emergency shelters at Southland Leisure Center and Acadia Recreation Complex have been set up.