Alberta and Calgary Floods

I just wanted to pop in and say that we have not been affected at all by the flooding in Alberta. My husband and I feel so, so fortunate and grateful, and have made a contribution to the Red Cross and are hoping we can volunteer through YYC Helps when we are able. It is so Normal compared to the Not Normal that others are experiencing, and I feel a little guilty about this. On the upside, the roofers did a good job on the new roof back in February and we didn't have any leaks.

The creek near our house is very high though - this is Nose Creek, which meanders through the northwest today. Usually there's a couple feet of clearance on either side:

A couple of days of hard rain turned into major flooding throughout Southern Alberta - the official explanation is that a trapped weather system caused a "firehose of moisture" that didn't quit. It happened very fast - one day it was Banff and Canmore, the next Calgary, High River and the Siksika Nation, and then the day after that, the water was on its way to Medicine Hat. The Bow is a big river and it goes where it wants!

The cloudless, blue skies on the weekend contrasted with the oppressive grey cloud cover that hung over the city all last week. Weather in this area can change quickly, astonishingly quickly, so it was surprising to have days of poor weather beforehand.

But Calgarians tend to be natural optimists and most people have been able to return to their homes and many services are already back on their feet as I write this - the CBC studio, the C-train will run downtown tomorrow, and even the Stampede will go on. We didn't let the weather stop us from going to the Greek Festival either on Saturday. Since downtown was closed, we had to take the most roundabout way possible. There were a lot of empty roads. Calgary is a busy, energetic city, and to see such stillness is unusual! The festival turned into admission by donation and we enjoyed the chance to eat good food and think about something else for a brief time.