Scott Dippel blog: Calgary flood by the numbers
$50K study commissioned to examine city response
On a chilly Friday afternoon, a fact-filled report was presented to city council's emergency management committee.
It was all about the city's response to last June's flood. Now plenty has already been written about the flood, but this report seems like the final summation of all that happened.
- Calgary study on city flood response expected by next June
- City focuses on 6 riverbank erosion sites for next spring
- Calgary floods spotlight cities' costly failure to plan for climate change
The report also reveals that the Calgary Emergency Management Agency is spending $50,000 to have the Conference Board of Canada do an independent review of how the city responded to the flood emergency.
That study, due back by next June, could result in changes in how emergency officials respond to any future large-scale disaster situations.
In the meantime, here are some Calgary flood facts of what happened on the ground during the flooding in June.
- Number of communities fully or partially evacuated: 32
- Number of people forced out of their homes: 80,000
- Number of meals provided at evacuation centres: 68,000
- Number of city staff who assisted with emergency response and initial recovery: 7,000
- Number of water rescues performed by Calgary Fire Department in first 24 hours: 400+
The city expects its flood repair costs to top $500 million after widespread damages.
- Temporary berms constructed to protect infrastructure/communities: 16
- Number of ENMAX customers affected by flood (metered): 39,837
- LRT stations affected by flood: 5
- All LRT service restored: 13 days after flood
- Waste to city landfills in the weeks after flood: 98,000+ tonnes (three years of landfill space)
Floodwaters forced the closure of numerous roads, bridges and pathways. The city says it could take until 2015 to finish repairs to damaged pathways alone.
- Roadways closed by flood: 800 kilometres
- Bridges closed by flood: 20
- Pathways closed by flood: 93 kilometres
- Parks closed by flood: 30
Thousands of Calgarians worked overtime in the flood aftermath. Overtime pay for senior city managers became a hot debate after the bill came to more than $300,000 for 28 people.
- Number of Edmonton firefighters who assisted the Calgary Fire Department: 160
- 311 phone calls in two weeks after flooding started: 100,000
- Visits to city website during flood period: 1.1 million hits
- Media releases issued during flood period: 140
- State of local emergency: 14 days
Read the full report below. On mobile click here for the document.