Well, it's been an unusual couple of weeks. Collin and I (and Kowalski the Cat) did end up being evacuated for three days when the Bow River broke it's banks and started flowing up Crowchild. While our apartment was untouched, many nearby neighborhoods were hit pretty hard. I spent last week working with various groups to help people dig mud and gunk out of their houses, remove drywall and insulation, and treating the bare bones with bleach before things started to rot and mould too badly.
Every basement I visited was destroyed. This is especially tough because in Calgary, basements are the most affordable apartment options. Their tenants (lots of students, and single parent households) don't have money to spare. These apartments lost most of their belongings - mud and contaminated water soaked clothing, destroyed electronics and books. So sad.
My favorite place to walk, Prince's Island, was under water for a good chunk of the flooding. We went to investigate the damage last Monday - full-grown uprooted pines, washed down river, have lodged in the trees on the island. Benches were ripped out of the ground and the banks have been eroded and undercut. Many of our favorite bike trails along the river are unsafe, and the city is still requesting that everyone (despite the recent scorching temperatures) stay out of the river until the tons of dangerous debris can be removed. And the zoo - oh! The poor zoo!
Every basement I visited was destroyed. This is especially tough because in Calgary, basements are the most affordable apartment options. Their tenants (lots of students, and single parent households) don't have money to spare. These apartments lost most of their belongings - mud and contaminated water soaked clothing, destroyed electronics and books. So sad.
My favorite place to walk, Prince's Island, was under water for a good chunk of the flooding. We went to investigate the damage last Monday - full-grown uprooted pines, washed down river, have lodged in the trees on the island. Benches were ripped out of the ground and the banks have been eroded and undercut. Many of our favorite bike trails along the river are unsafe, and the city is still requesting that everyone (despite the recent scorching temperatures) stay out of the river until the tons of dangerous debris can be removed. And the zoo - oh! The poor zoo!
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| One of the bridges to Prince's Island completely washed out. |
In short, Calgary is kind of a mess right now, but it's getting better. The message sent out by the Mayor is basically: help your neighbors when they need it, and spend spend spend! The Stampede starts tomorrow and will, hopefully, inject desperately needed revenue into the city's business to help rebuilding efforts.
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