Clean up begins after flood in southern Alberta

STANDOFF, Alta. – Flood water on the Blood reserve in southern Alberta is receding and emergency officials are turning their attention to recovery mode.

Fire chief Oscar Cotton says they are starting to get people back to their homes.

He says every road is passable and the reserve’s housing department was now pumping out a lot of basements with about 200 homes affected by the flood.

Cotton says there are still about 50 people who are being put up in hotels with the reception centre offering meals and accepting donations in Standoff.

READ MORE: State of Emergency continues in several southern Alberta communities

Most of the damage was to property located along the Belly River which is not controlled by a dam.

Officials say if they get all the water out quick enough, most homes should survive the flood, but the future of three remains up in the air.

The Alberta government says as many as 500 homes experienced some sort of flooding in southern Alberta because of heavy rains last week in the province’s southwest.