On Sunday July 12th, 2015 the city of Chestermere was rocked with a storm that some are calling the perfect storm. With ingredients such as a storm cell that hung over our city for several hours, over 223mm of rain falling in four hours, the power remaining off for hour after hour… the perfect storm definitely left its mark on the city of Chestermere.
As if Chestermere residents didn’t have their hands full following the July 12th storm, July 14th brought in another storm that ripped through the soaked city with more rain and damaging hail. The rest of the week remained unstable with on and off showers, more power outages and a massive clean-up underway city wide. On July 14th, the City of Chestermere issued this statement, “The City is working to provide assistance to residents affected by Sunday’s storm and subsequent flooding.
For all residents:
• There is a forecast for light rain in Chestermere later today but staff are on high alert and monitoring water levels in our storm ponds.
• CUI informs us that tap water quality remains safe to use. However, please use less water to slow the flow to sewers.
• Power has been restored to the community and all roads are open.
• Levels are slightly higher than normal but the sewer system is functioning properly.
• If you would like to volunteer to assist with cleanup efforts, SYNERGY is taking names to match interest with any current opportunities. Call SYNERGY at 403-207-7099 if you’d like to volunteer.
If you experienced flooding in your home:
• SYNERGY will be delivering flyers with information to affected areas later today and tomorrow. This information will be available as a download shortly.
• We recommend that you take photos for insurance purposes.
o If you are concerned about your insurance coverage, the City is applying to the Provincial Government for flooding assistance for those affected. It may take some time to hear back about from the Provincial Government but the City will post any information we receive on our website, Facebook, and Twitter accounts.
• CUI has placed large garbage bins around the City today. Visit www.cuinc.ca for more info and call 403-207-7CUI if you notice bins getting full. Bins have been placed at the following locations:
o Chestermere Lake Middle School – 128 West Lakeview Drive
o Prairie Waters Elementary – 201 Invermere Drive
o East Lake School – 325 Kinniburgh Boulevard
o Rainbow Creek Elementary – 285 West Creek Drive
o Chestermere Regional Recreation Centre – 201 West Chestermere Drive
o Sunset Park – 421 East Chestermere Drive
• The City will be offering one FREE basement inspection per affected home for electrical, gas/plumbing, and building to anyone that needs it. This is a ‘pre-mediation’ inspection only to assist you with assessing the damage. Call them at 403-207-7075 to book an inspection. Please note that inspections after work is complete will only occur if a permit is required and has been applied for. Homeowners may need to call other professionals for different types of inspections (i.e. mold/water quality). Please refer to your insurance provider or a remediation specialist for other concerns”.
Mayor Patricia Matthews released a statement saying, “City Council and Staff have been in contact with the Provincial Government in order to bring the flood situation to their attention and request funding help for our residents in what is a very difficult time for many people.”
Director of Emergency Management Steve Bagley: “The City and its partners are working hard to coordinate support for our affected residents including volunteer help, placing garbage bins, providing advice and any other assistance required to those most impacted. The cleanup is a major undertaking for anyone and we want them to know we are here to help.”
It was reported following the July 14th hail storm that City and CUI crews ensured that all storm drains were cleared of debris yesterday and will continue monitoring catch basins. Crews from CUI continued pumping areas that were overwhelmed with water throughout the night. Street sweepers will be going out and cleaning areas that were hardest hit to avoid more debris clogging storm drains should the City receive more precipitation. We ask that residents do not park on roads with recent flooding so street sweepers can collect as much debris as possible. The City has asked WID to continue dropping the level of the lake to 4 inches below normal in the event that another storm comes through.
The City of Chestermere, on Friday July 17th commented, “Our latest updates for flood info are online at www.chestermere.ca/alerts as for what the City is doing. However, we do know that the Minister of Municipal Affairs made some comments about the disaster relief program today. Mayor Matthews quote in response: “We are still working with so many residents to identify how exactly they were affected and with the Province to help those most in need. It’s a stressful time for everyone but we know that as long as we work together we’ll get the best possible outcome.”
The city still doesn’t have an accurate number of affected homes but really encourages everyone who had any flooding to email them with their address, a description of the damage and any photos they want to share to flood@chestermere.ca. With regards to city infrastructure, the city is assessing but it is known that the beach and bike park sustained damage. The beach is now open again but the bike park is closed for the time being. The city will be doing further assessments on city infrastructure in the next several days.
