One woman is missing after being swept away by floods in Canada and helicopters plucked stranded motorists to safety.
HIGHWOOD RIVER, Calgary — Water levels from heavy flooding in western Canada were expected to peak around noon Friday possibly forcing as many as 100,000 people from their homes, officials said.
Torrential rains and widespread flooding throughout southern Alberta on Thursday forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway and isolated the mountain resort towns of Banff and Canmore.
The flooding washed out roads and bridges, left at least one person missing and caused cars, couches and refrigerators to float away.
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| AP Photo: The Canadian Press, Jeff McIntosh. Helicopters rescued stranded motorists in western Canada where floods may force more than 100,000 from their homes. |
Torrential rains and widespread flooding throughout southern Alberta on Thursday forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway and isolated the mountain resort towns of Banff and Canmore.
The flooding washed out roads and bridges, left at least one person missing and caused cars, couches and refrigerators to float away.
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| AP Photo: The Canadian Press, Jordan Verlage. A woman is rescued from flood waters sweeping over western Canada. |
Many downtown neighborhoods were ordered evacuated as the evening went on. Officials said the evacuation would take place in stages over the next few days.
The province reported that 12 communities were under states of emergency.
One woman who had been stranded on top of a trailer was missing after it was swept away, STARS air ambulance spokesman Cam Heke said.
Motorists who were trapped overnight Wednesday by water spilling over Canada's main western highway had to be rescued by helicopter, Town of Canmore spokeswoman Sally Caudill said.
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| AP Photo: The Canadian Press, Jordan Verlage. A kayaker in the aptly named High River, Alberta, deals with the floods in western Canada that may force more than 100,000 from their homes. |
"I woke up at about three o'clock in morning to the sound of this kind of rumbling, and it was the creek," said Wade Graham, a resident of Canmore.
"At first it was just intense, pretty powerful, amazing thing to watch. As daylight came, it just got bigger and bigger and wider and wider, and it's still getting bigger and bigger and wider and wider."
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| AP Photo: The Canadian Press, Rocky Mountain Outlook, Craig Douce. Homes are in jeopardy from flood waters in western Canada that may force 100,000 from their homes. |
He added, "I watched a refrigerator go by, I watched a shed go by, I watched couches go by. It's insane."
Bruce Burrell, director of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, said water levels on the Bow River aren't expected to subside until Saturday afternoon.
The Bow River Basin already has been battered with up to 3.9 inches of rain.
"Depending on the extent of flooding we experience overnight, there may be areas of the city where people are not going to be able to get into until the weekend," he told a news conference.
In High River, Mounties asked people with motorboats to help rescue at least a dozen stranded homeowners.
"We have people on their rooftops who were unable to evacuate fast enough," said RCMP Sgt. Patricia Neely.
Environment Canada issued a rainfall warning for the affected areas, estimating as many as 4 more inches of rain could fall in the next two days.
