Fire to flood: County west of Edmonton faces new emergency following heavy rains
Days after wildfire evacuation orders were lifted for residents of Edson and Yellowhead County in west-central Alberta, flooding triggered by battering rain is forcing some residents out of their homes again.
Residents of the town and parts of the county have been forced out twice recently due to the threat of encroaching wildfires. But heavy rains that allowed wildfire evacuation orders to lift last week have now triggered a new emergency.
The county and the town have both declared states of local emergency due to flash flooding.
As rivers began to overflow their banks Monday, people who live in Lower Robb were ordered to leave their homes.
Parts of the hamlet, about 250 kilometres west of Edmonton, remain under evacuation.
On Tuesday morning, a shelter-in-place order was issued for residents in southern parts of Peers, a hamlet 40 km northeast of Edson.
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The Peers Bridge has been compromised by flooding. Emergency responders will help residents get out of the area, an emergency alert said.
Yellowhead County posted a photo showing erosion along the deck of the bridge, which remains surrounded by floodwaters.
As of Tuesday morning, rivers and creeks continue to overrun their banks, threatening homes and infrastructure.
People are being told to avoid washed-out roads, to prepare for power outages and to stay away from downed power lines.
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In Edson, home to around 8,000 people, rain fell through the night into Tuesday morning. Between five and 10 millimetres is expected to fall in the town Tuesday.
Mayor Kevin Zahara said there is extensive flooding in the town. Roads have washed out and homes and businesses are flooded.
More than a dozen homes had flooded by Monday morning. Zahara said he expected that number to rise.
"It's been a very difficult 24 hours," he said in an interview Monday afternoon. "The rain has not let up."
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Some residents forced to evacuate by fire just returned home to find their properties inundated by water, Zahara said.
Town crews, already exhausted by the wildfire crisis, were still working to restore essential services when floodwaters began to rise over the weekend, he said.
"This is a lot to deal with. People have jobs they need to be at and now they're dealing with flooded basements.
"We'll get through it. We're strong, resilient people but I think it's going to be a difficult few days."
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Declaring a state of emergency will help the community better respond to the flooding, Zahara said. He said the town is seeking additional assistance from surrounding municipalities and is in talks with the province about financial aid for residents.
"We felt that all of our resources were deployed and the situation was getting worse. Our staff are tired from the last couple weeks of emergency," he said.
"They're doing everything they can … but we need more resources."
Residents were ordered to leave Edson on June 9 as a fire grew close to the town's southern boundary. Evacuation orders were lifted last Thursday as heavy rains helped firefighters make headway on the fire.
Kandice Code returned Sunday to the Edson home she has lived in for more than four decades. She woke up Monday to find water flowing through the basement. The sight brought her to tears.
'From one extreme to the next'
She spent the day bailing out flooded rooms and bagging up waterlogged clothing and keepsakes.
"How can this be happening, after just being evacuated from fires? From one extreme to the next," she said.
"I feel bad for all the residents of Edson that have to go through this. We did just get back and now we're dealing with a whole new situation."
A person stands on top of a truck surrounded by floodwaters. Yellowhead County and Edson, Alta., have declared states of local emergency following days of heavy rain. (Yellowhead County/Facebook via CBC)
Luc Mercier, Yellowhead County's chief administrative officer, said flooding has been reported across the county. Rivers are high and barricades are being erected to protect homes.
Mercier warned people not to drive over roads covered with water because they could be washed out.
South of Cadomin, Highway 40 is closed and power has been knocked out by snow storms that hit some western parts of the county over the weekend, damaging transmission lines.
Yellowhead County Mayor Wade Williams said he couldn't believe how quickly the crisis facing the community had altered course.
"Just three days from total wildfires, we're talking about floods, we're taking about power lines being knocked down by snow storms," he said.
"People, let's just be safe … I can't even believe what's going on. I don't even have the words."
This article, written by Wallis Snowdon, was originally published for CBC News.
