Hundreds flee flooding in Sundre and area BOIL WATER ORDER REMAINS IN EFFECT – June 21/05 Pg 2 by Dan Singleton Round Up staff Sundre and district has been hit by some of the worst flooding ever seen in the region, causing widespread damage in town, on area farms and homes, to campgrounds, and to other facilities. About 1,300 people were forced from their homes in east Sundre and in west Sundre south of the Bearberry Creek. Among those evacuated to a reception centre at Olds College were more than 60 seniors from the Foothills Lodge and Wild Rose Court. “It’s a disaster but it’s something we will get through,” said Mayor Roy Cummings. “In the back of your mind you always thought it could happen and now it has. Yes it’s a disaster but as long as the folks are okay, that’s good.” A boil water remains in effect for all of Sundre, with residents advised to boil water for at least one minute before consumption. Heavy rains lead to a dramatic increase in water levels in the Red Deer River and tributaries across the district late last week. A state of emergency for Sundre was declared early Saturday morning. Shortly after 9 a.m. Alberta Environment warned that the dyking system for the Town of Sundre was in jeopardy of being breached from extremely high water levels. The Bearberry Creek spilled its banks west of town at about 2 p.m. Saturday, pouring water down Main Avenue and into side streets. Many businesses were flooded in the resulting deluge. While there were no immediate reports of injuries, damage to property has been extensive. The Town of Sundre Emergency Operations Centre – manned by council members, town staff, police, fire officials, EMS personnel and others – was set up in the town office. By mid afternoon, EOC officials ordered a mandatory evacuation of all Sundre residences east of the Red Deer River. Shortly after 3 p.m. the decision was made to order a mandatory evacuation of the west side of Sundre south of the Bearberry Creek. Seniors and others were evacuated in Chinook’s Edge School buses, in private cars and trucks. In ordering the evacuation of west Sundre, Mayor Roy Cummings said fears that evacuation routes would be cut off prompted the move. “Our biggest concern is maintaining evacuation routes. We certainly didn’t want to get caught in a situation where we couldn’t get out of town.” Nita Bartholow, town CAO, said the emergency response system worked very well during the crisis. “We learned a lot. Our main concern was lives and we protected that. We were so pleased that so many people have come forward in time of need. It’s just wonderful,” said Bartholow. The flooding crisis in the region touched off a number of rescue efforts: • Late Friday, with water levels already on the rise, Sundre firefighters rescued three people, including a four year old boy, when the vehicle they were driving in became stranded in raging water as the Bearberry flooded the roadway west of town. • On Saturday, 11 teenagers had to be rescued at Camp Harmattan when the area they were camping in became flooded by the Little Red Deer River. • On Sunday, a family of seven, including two elderly persons and a small child, had to be rescued along the Bergen Road south of Sundre. In that case, the family’s vehicle became surrounded by water, prompting the rescue by Sundre firefighters and EMS personnel. • On Saturday, eight people were pulled out of a Mountain View County campground northwest of Water Valley by helicopters. There has been extensive damage to the banks along the Bearberry Creek in northwest Sundre. The creek, normally only metres wide and a few inches deep, became a raging torrent, crashing into the Centre Street bridge. Many roadways across Mountain View and Red Deer County were washed out and blocked. The Westward Ho campground was completely flooded when the Little Red Deer River bust its banks on Saturday night. Trailers, vehicles and other property at the camp were swept down stream in the flooding. Gord Toews, manager of the Westward Ho campground for 24 years, said there are typically about 200 trailers in the campground, which is owned by Mountain View County. Many owners removed their trailers Friday and early Saturday, while others moved their units to high ground. It’s not known exactly how many of the remaining trailers were washed away. “We had some flooding before, but in 24 years I’ve never seen it come across the road like this. I’ve never seen flooding like this, not even close.” All remaining residents at the park were evacuated at about 6 p.m. Saturday. By 11 p.m., property was being swept away. Shower facilities, outbuildings and workshops in the camp have all been damaged or destroyed, he said. Mike and Monica Beukeboom, owners of the Wood & Nickel Family Golf Centre, located just outside the gates of the Westward Ho campground, watched their driving range and putting facility wash away when the Little Red Deer River burst its banks Saturday night. “We suspected that it would come over the road, but to have this kind of volume is shocking. Nobody thought it would happen. Even some of the old timers remember 50 years ago and this is far worse,” said Mike. The Greenwood Campground in Sundre was overrun early Saturday, with picnic tables being completely submerged. The historic James River Hall received extensive damage when the nearby James River bust its banks. The James River Bridge was closed when an approach was washed out. The newly-opened Coyote Creek Golf Course and RV southwest of town received no significant damage, say officials. “We got some very minor flooding, with no damage on the tees or greens,” said general manager Don Hager. “This is a testament to the quality of engineering and construction. What we just went through was considered a 1 in 200 event.” He said the course will reopen later this week. There was some minor flooding at one end of the Sundre airport runway. Planes were landing at the facility Sunday. Classes were cancelled at River Valley school and the High School Monday because there was no water for the kids to drink.