Canmore Flood Causes Panic - Residents Evacuated By Helicopter [VIDEO]: Creek Normally 10 Feet Wide Now 400 Feet Across
A Canmore flood means rising waters in the Canadian town. Watch an incredible video of the flooding below.
Canmore residents are panicking due to the flood. Massive sections of the area are underwater. Several residents' properties are cut off from roads due to the floodwater. Some residents had to be evacuated by helicopter
A forced evacuation has been made due to the Canmore flood. Officials declared a state of emergency.
Canmore has been plagued by heavy rains, causing nearby Cougar Creek to overflow. The resulting flooding has deluged the waterlogged area. Saturated soil gave way to rising tides, and some homes may be lost.
Canmore flooded, but the nearest large city, Calgary, Alberta, is about an hour away. Several residents may have evacuated there.
The city has been darkened by power outages; officials have called for everyone living near Cougar Creek to evacuate immediately.
This is a stark change from the Canmore's normal Creek, which was often only two inches deep and about ten feet wide. Following the rains, Cougar Creek has swollen to 16 feet deep and 400 feet wide.
Following the Canmore flood, the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 1A were closed to traffic in both directions.
"We do not advise travel this way," said Canmore RCMP Const. Jeff Jantz. "Don't come."
The rapidity of the rising water caught motorists and residents unaware, causing about 20 people to need to be evacuated by helicopter.
Town spokesperson Sally Caudill told press, "We had about 20 or so people on the highway ... who got stuck ... (when) water covered the highway in two places, so we used a helicopter to get those folks out."
In nearby Calgary, 100,000 residents may also be forced to evacuate. Calgary is the nearest large city, and many Canmore residents may have taken shelter there. Canmore mayor John Borrown said, "The situation is actually bad and getting worse. Now some of the smaller creeks are starting to flood."
See incredible video footage of the flooding below: