Flood waters cause havoc in southern reserve

Page 1

Residents of the Siksika Nation were hit hard by two floods in June caused by heavy rainfall. A flood on June 9 caused 60 evacuations with an estimated cost of $105,000 in damages. The latest flood on June 20 was one of the worst on record.

More than 80 families were evacuated from their homes as a result of the latest flooding. Band manager Fred Rabbit Carrier estimated the latest flood caused $400,000 in damages.

Tom Little Child, fire chief and director of disaster services for the nation, said five communities near the Bow River were affected. In some areas, families were air-lifted out of their homes by helicopter because they could not be reached by boat.

"This flood was definitely the worst, and the fact that it started during the night made things tougher," Little Child said. "All the homes were hit pretty hard, but the good thing is that there were no injuries reported."

Siksika chief and council held an emergency meeting to discuss concerns about the flooding.

"Siksika Nation will apply under the $55-million disaster relief fund with the federal government," said Rabbit Carrier.

Siksika Water Works and Health Canada are currently testing water wells in many of the affected communities. According to Environment Canada, a weather system that originated in the United States moved north to Alberta. Instead of moving west to east, the typical direction of such a storm, the weather system moved east to west and picked up more moisture before doubling back.

The Travel Lodge in Strathmore was kept busy with Siksika members checking in.

"A total of 34 rooms were booked at last count," said the Travel Lodge assistant manager. "I know other hotels have accommodated Siskika members in Strathmore and Bassano."

The Elders lodge also opened its doors and provided accommodations for flood victims.

Before the flooding began on the weekend, Richard Pyke, the general manager for the Hidden Valley Resort, could only provide a brief quote so as to keep phone lines open due to a 24-hour flood alert.

"The more rain we get the less time I have to talk with anyone, including media," said Pyke. "I'm constantly on call."

Many of the cottages have been destroyed and some residents do not qualify for compensation.

Of the 300 cabins in the resort, only a small number of residents live there year-round; they're the only ones eligible for government aid.

The lease on the land will soon expire and the Siksika Nation is in the process of renegotiating the agreements with cabin owners.

A similar flood took place in 1995. That year weather experts called it a 100-year flood, meaning it was a worst case scenario within a 100-year span. With this latest flood, environmentalists are calling it a 200-year flood.