Calgary to receive $1M for emergency flood equipment

12 other communities will divide another $1M in provincial assistance

Calgary is receiving HIGH RIVER $1 million from the province to help purchase emergency disaster equipment.

The $1 million is part of $2 million allocated for short-term flood-prevention equipment, supplies and mitigation efforts in communities along river basins.

“Overall, the qualifying communities are getting an immediate boost, totalling more than $2 million, for things like portable dams, water tubes and pumps,” said MLA Deborah Drever.

“The communities were chosen based on highest flood risk.”

The city’s funding will help acquire high volume water pumps and temporary flood barriers that “require less time and resources to build, allowing the city to act quickly in the event of a flood threat.”

Tom Sampson, chief of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, said the Alberta Emergency Management Agency caused them to think differently about redistributing staff as well, in order to further mitigation efforts.

“If you look at Calgary, if we have to build a berm that normally takes probably 36 hours, we know that a combination of the resources that we’ve got and the way that we’re staffing, those same berms could be built in 12 hours,” said Sampson.

Twelve communities in the province will receive the rest of the $2 million in funding that will assist their flood readiness.

The Municipal District of Foothills, for example, will use some of their funding to purchase a drone that will given them a “bird’s eye view” of their region in the event of a flood.

The announcement coincides with public works members who gathered together in High River for a flood readiness orientation. Over Sunday and Monday, they tried out the equipment that would be deployed during an emergency.

Despite the large snowpack this winter, Scott Long with the Alberta Emergency Management Agency said the risk of flooding is greatly reduced at this time, but they are always prepared.

“If you asked me this back in April, there was considerable concern over a rather large snowpack in the mountains, the largest one we’ve seen in quite some time,” said Long.

“May was generally very hot, we had some great weather, very little rain.

“That has continued to shrink the snowpack which was the largest risk to river rain flooding.”

This funding announcement is part of the $10 million the province recently announced that would help communities be better prepared for a flood event.

The larger $10 million investment also includes $3 million worth of equipment to its stockpile located in High River. This equipment includes rapid deployment trailers, portable dams, sandbag fillers and pumps. It is available for whenever municipalities need it.

“What’s left of the $10 million boost will be held in reserve to help communities prepare (for) large scale emergencies mitigation if a flood event appears imminent in a season,” said Drever.

Qualifying communities are getting (funding) for things like portable dams, water tubes and pumps.