Calgary

Nenshi names official to oversee Calgary flood recovery

The mayor has appointed a senior official to oversee Calgary's recovery from last month's flood.

Gord Stewart will oversee service co-ordination and infrastructure repair

The mayor has appointed a senior official to oversee Calgary's recovery from last month's flood.

Gord Stewart, formerly the city's director of transportation infrastructure, is now the director of recovery operations and will be tasked with helping Calgary get back to normal.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi has asked him to look at helping people, directing the repair of damaged infrastructure, restoring services and helping to find the money to pay for it all.

"This is not going to be a quick sprint," Stewart said.

"We have a corporate management program that will outline how we're going to take this on. We have the resiliency within the community and within the organization to make this happen but at the end of the day, this is all about people."

It's estimated Stewart will spend about four to 12 months in the role.

The city has pegged flood damage at roughly $250 million. Premier Alison Redford has suggested it could take years for affected communities across Alberta to recover completely.