Fort McMurray needs help after ‘devastating’ floods, mayor says
Residents returned to soaked walls, muddy basements on weekend
FORT MCMURRAY, ALTA.—The mayor of a northern Alberta city hit hard by flooding says he will seek disaster aid from higher levels of government while residents have been told they may need to boil their tap water for months.
Don Scott, mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, said he spent the weekend walking around downtown Fort McMurray as evacuation orders were lifted and about 13,000 residents were allowed to return to their homes.
“I have first-hand seen the heartbreak that people are going through and the devastation that was caused by this flood,” he said Monday. “This community needs help. We are going to need provincial help ... and, if possible, we would like to see the federal government top up any provincial assistance, because the devastation is pretty significant.”
Scott estimated there’s more than $100 million in damage.
Alberta Municipal Affairs said in a statement that the government would consider the request.
“Premier (Jason) Kenney has stated that the flooding situation in northern Alberta will likely meet the eligibility for a Disaster Recovery Program as a one-in-100-year flood event,” press secretary Timothy Gerwing wrote in an email.
“Details of any potential Disaster Recovery Program would have to be voted on by cabinet before they could be made public, but the government recognizes the urgent need for relief.”
All mandatory evacuation orders were lifted in the regional municipality, which includes Fort McMurray, by 6 p.m. Sunday.
“We are now fully in recovery phase,” said Scott Davis, the municipality’s director of emergency management.
The final evacuation order ended as Fort McMurray marked the anniversary of a raging fire that emptied the northern city four years ago.
The latest disaster was the result of a 25-kilometre-long ice jam on the Athabasca River, which caused water levels to rise in several low-lying areas along the Athabasca and Clearwater rivers — including downtown Fort McMurray.
Residents returned to soaked walls and muddy basements on the weekend. Some of the homes won’t be habitable because of water damage and the mayor said many residents don’t have insurance.