What is your weather like ... today

[callingcolleen1]

Thanks guys, more Alberta Emergency Alerts were sounding as I drove to the river with the puppies one hours ago. On the way, I noticed City of Medicine Hat had started it's flood preparations down at the under ground parking to the Court House and the City hall now closed, red tap and city officers told me they expect it to be worse than the flood of 2005. Of course they protect City hall first, so that the Bills don't get lost! Ha ha ha
At the peak I think the river is expected to flow at the rate over 3000 cubic inches per second. Down by the river with the puppies, I see the farmer has pulled his pumps out of the river before the big flood comes.
I expect the front yard flower beds to be flooded, by water from the creek. The water will seep up from the storm drainage, as it did in previous years in 1995 and 2005. The front flower bed will get a good muddy soaking, water may lap at my front door, and if worse than 1995, it will pour into the house, basement first. The windows around the house at the basement level are sealed and boarded up, and have been since the flood of 1995.

The river looks peaceful and quiet right now, but upstream a raging ocean of water heading this way. Just now I heard many people were swept away upstream and report of bodies....

Mayor from Calgary says the Bow river looks like an ocean! The Prime Minister of Canada is now in Calgary and has called up hundreds of more solders.

 

[callingcolleen1]

Worse case, I will take the fish up to my friend who has a large pond with no fish. Then at least I will save them.... hope it does not get to that! I hear the Bow valley expecting up to 200 mm of rain by tonight!

 

[j.w]

How horrible Colleen and now there have been deaths. Please be careful and how soon before you know if you need to get yourself and your fish out of there if it comes to that?

 

[callingcolleen1]

State of emergency for city of Medicine Hat, issued at 1 pm. The flood is expected to exceed the so called "flood of the century" of 1995. This means much more water that we thought is coming down. In 1995 the water flowed at 4000 cubic metres per second, this flood is now expected to flow at 6000 cubic metres per second! We are told to find another place to stay, and that will be difficult with two large dogs!

On the bright side I can move my fish to my friends house where there is a big pond with no fish. They will at least have a home....

Me and the puppies will live somewhere in a tent, out of the back of my truck, or maybe a hotel if one is available. I can't take Poppy to a shelter, it will be too hard on her, and dogs would chase the cats in shelter and cause trouble. I won't go to a shelter cause I will feel squished. Jumping off bridge not not an option, Poppy will need me.... and I will never leave Poppy. Hubby will have to be rescused of the roof cause I know him and he will not leave till all hope is lost!! We have insurance for flooding I think, but the thought of my garden flooding and house is too much for me to bear, On the bright side at least all the rocks I collected over 22 years should still be here....

 

[sissy]

gosh I hope it is not as bad as they say .

 

[brandonsdad02]

Please be safe. Get all of your important documents to a safe place. I hope it's not as bad as they say but better to be safe than sorry.

 

[MitchM]

It looks like the rain is finally ending here. We've received over 3 inches in the last day or so. Places south of us have received over 7 inches.
More dams are releasing more water now so the river flows are going to remain high for the next few days.

 

[callingcolleen1]

I am scared, my pond looks so beautiful right now, in spite of the borken stems here and there, that is small stuff now.

If the flood looks like it will overflow my yard, I will load the big fish in a 100 gallon bucket and take to a friend who has a very large pond with no fish, and she can enjoy them for the summer. The smaller fish will be loaded up beforehand and moved to my sisters pond. I will have an emergency packing and load the truck with a tent, sleeping stuff, and emergency stuff. I will live in a tent on high ground and camp out with the hubby and the puppies. If it is bad, me the hubby and puppies and fish will be safe. I feel better, hubby comming home and we now have a plan.

 

[MitchM]

Focus on your plan, Colleen. That will help you get through the worst, if it happens.
Also, take pictures of your house, inside and outside. If you don't have insurance, then there will probably be government assistance for those affected by the flood. The pictures will help with a claim, if you need to make one.
In a few days, this will be over.

 

[don't ask]

Sadly they don't show much coverage hear in the states along the East coast, but we send prayers and thoughts your way Colleen, that you, your family and others in the area make it through this event.

 

[MitchM]

This is a local news station that I've been following all day:

http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/

 

[CountryEscape]

I heard on my Sirius radio on the way home from work, I listen to channel 59 The Highway, "Please pray for our friends to the north. Calgary Canada has terrible flooding, and lives have been lost. Stay safe our Canadian friends, we are thinking and praying for you, and want to hear soon that you are all safe." Well, I totally agree with them! I had to check on here as soon as I got home.
Colleen, do as said above, take all precautions you can think of, and then get out before it gets too bad. You have a good plan! I was thinking of you all the way home, wondering if your ponds would flood, and what would happen with the fish. I thought, maybe you could put up a temporary fence around the ponds with chicken wire or something like that to keep the fish in the enclosure, even if the water is flowing around the ponds! Just a thought. I know you will do your best to keep them all safe. Good luck catching those suckers. Mine are awful to try to catch.
But, above all else, keep yourself and your husband and dogs safe. The ponds and fish and everything else can be replaced, even though your fish mean the world to you. I know you have plans for them in other's ponds, and that is great! Just don't wait until the last minute and have trouble catching them. Best to take them now, and keep them safe. Sounds like it is coming, just when is the questions. I'm praying all will go well for you and that it will not be as horrific as they say it may be!

 

[j.w]

Mitch that link there and all those stories and video's look bad and sure hope you all can stay safe. Colleen like CE says, don't wait to get out, do it soon. Will be thinking of you through all this and hope you have a home left when this is over! May God be w/ you all involved w/ this and get you through it safely!

 

[MitchM]

I think the flood waters are supposed to start reaching Medicine Hat around 6 pm mountain time ( about 1 hour from now)
Medicine Hat started handing out evacuation notices about 2 hours ago, I'm certain Colleen's area would be one of them. She may be in the process of evacuating now.
The worst that could happen to me is that we get stranded from a washed out road, nothing compared to what Colleen may be experiencing.
We all wish her the best. We may not hear anything for a few days.
The town of Medicine Hat said with the amount of water expected, sandbags would be useless so they're not distributing them. They're building berms around generator stations.

 

[j.w]

I'm scared for her Mitch. It sounds like you will be fine but take care just in case. Gosh this will be hard waiting to hear from Colleen that she,her husband and pups and fish will be safe. So sad if she loses all her lovely gardens and all her collection of fun things. I am about to cry for her losses and it would be so hard to be in their situation. I will be watching for any information that you can provide for us Mitch and thank you for keeping us informed. Be safe!