High River finishes rebuilding but reminders of flood remain

HIGH RIVER, Alta. — Even as High River finishes rebuilding, an abandoned neighbourhood full of million-dollar homes is a stark reminder of devastating flooding four years ago.

Floods in parts of southern Alberta in June 2013 caused billions of dollars in damage. In High River, one of the hardest-hit communities, entire neighbourhoods stood under water for weeks.

Nearly all of the community’s 12,000 residents were forced from their homes.

“It’s been very hard. It’s not easy to rebuild from something that was that devastating,’’ said High River Mayor Craig Snodgrass.

“We’re 95 per cent complete.’’ Some neighbourhoods were considered to be too much at risk to rebuild. Beachwood, once an upscale neighbourhood along the Highwood River, was one of them. The Alberta government shelled out $92.9 million to the displaced homeowners of 94 properties. Of those, 54 were slated for demolition, 26 auctioned off and the fate of 14 others is still up in the air.