Prime Minister of Canada responds to Alberta floods
Rain over the past few weeks has been causing severe flooding in Southern Alberta and parts of Central Alberta. The flooding is causing serious damage to homes, properties and businesses, forcing the evacuation of citizens from a number of communities, including in Calgary. Infrastructure continues to be affected, including multiple road washouts as well as rail line, gas line, telecommunications and power disruptions.
The Government of Canada is committed to helping provinces, territories and municipalities aversely impacted by floods and other natural disasters. To this end, on June 21, 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper visited Calgary to see first-hand the impact of the floods that are affecting communities across southern and central Alberta.
The Federal Government has responded quickly to the Province of Alberta’s request for assistance in addressing the floods in southern and central Alberta. The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are supporting the flood operations with approximately 1,300 troops. RCMP officers from several detachments are also engaged in search and rescue activities, evacuation efforts, and logistical support.
More specifically, CAF members are actively engaged in providing evacuation assistance in High River, evacuating hospital patients, and providing logistics and fuel support in the Kananaskis valley area.
The following equipment is also being dispatched to help those affected by the flooding: eight helicopters, a military airplane, trucks and other vehicles.
Industry Canada is also working with telecommunication companies and provincial partners to address the telecommunications outages.
The Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) is also available to provide financial support to the Province of Alberta for eligible costs. The DFAA is a financial mechanism through which the Government of Canada helps provincial and territorial governments respond and recover from natural disasters.