High River's Saddlebrook complex to stay open
Community currently houses roughly 400 flood evacuees
A temporary development to house flood evacuees from High River will stay open.
Where are the evacuees?
Many Albertans remain out of their homes and are staying in shelters or other temporary residences across southern Alberta. Here is a break-down as of Friday, Feb. 7, showing how many people are in interim housing and where.
- 378 at Saddlebrook in High River
- 0 at Great Plains in Calgary
- 355 in relief shelters on Siksika First Nation
- 73 in interim housing on Stoney First Nation
- 22 in mobile homes in the MD of Bighorn
- Eight in hotels
Source: Government of Alberta, Municipal Affairs
The Saddlebrook trailer complex outside the devastated town was set to close next month. However, the province now says it will keep the community open while flood-damaged homes are torn down and rebuilt.
The community is currently home to almost 400 evacuees and the province says it isn't ruling out building another housing project in the town for displaced residents.
The Alberta government set up the Saddlebrook community just north of High River after hundreds of people were left homeless in last June's flood.
It was followed up with the opening of the Great Plains community near Calgary, which is now closed.
Alberta's associate minister of regional recovery and reconstruction, Rick Fraser, says the government will continue to provide housing for flood victims.
He says officials are looking at alternate arrangements inside High River to give people a more permanent place to live while their homes are being rebuilt.
Fraser says many of the people living in Saddlebrook won't be able to return home for some time.
With files from The Canadian Press