Certainly
one of my greatest concerns this week, aside from my father-in-law, is for all my friends in Alberta who are just now
recovering from a devastating flooding in that province. Friends in Canmore and
Exshaw had to be evacuated and the flooding took out a chunk of the Trans
Canada highway near Canmore. That highway is really the only way in and out of
the mountains, and I am sure that detour severely impacted the flow of goods and
services to the people who most desperately need them. The destruction in High
River and Calgary has been unbelievable and I was shocked to hear that the
water level rose to something like the tenth row of the Calgary Saddle Dome. Our
friend Jim, who does road work in the Canmore area, just called to say that
just today they have re-opened one lane of the Trans Canada. Jim’s house in
Exshaw was flooded and there is presently seven feet of water in his basement.
As well, he told me that there is a foot or two of heavy silt everywhere around
his property. Water can be pumped out but the heavy silt is a little harder to
remove. What a mess! Years ago, when Shauna and I were still going out to Banff
every summer, we stored our cookware and other household items in Jim’s
basement. I presume it’s all still there, floating around along with all the other
ruined stuff. I called him today and jokingly asked if we could
have our stuff sent back to us. With friends like me, who needs enemies.
Hopefully,
I will be able to provide a more carefully written report next week.
Written by
Jamie Oppenheimer c2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No comments:
Post a Comment