Stampede Park, Saddledome facing major cleanup

UPDATE AT 3:41 P.M. MT

Calgary Flames president Ken King held a press conference on Saturday afternoon regarding the extensive damage inside the Saddledome.

“The flooding currently sits at row eight,” he said. “It is a total loss on the event level.”

He adds that the executive group met on Saturday morning and went through a number of tasks. They believe insurance will cover the damage, but all hockey equipment was lost and they have already started ordering new equipment.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called to offer assistance from the league.

CALGARY- The show must go on.

Those were the words from Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, in light of devastating flooding that has destroyed parts of Stampede Park and the Saddledome.

“We are Calgarians. We will find a way to make this work,” he said, of the extensive damage to the Stampede grounds, less than two weeks before Stampede is scheduled to start. “It may not look the same as last year…but the City of Calgary is working with the Stampede and will continues those conversations.”

Bowed but unbroken, the Calgary Stampede vows it will do all it can to put on a great show this year, but first things first.

“Our first concern is really with the Albertans affected by the flooding in the province,” says Kurt Kadatz, the Stampede’s director of communication. “We know a lot of families have been affected—families of our employees and volunteers as well.

“Obviously our first concern is around those folks.”

One Stampede employee was already stranded atop his pickup truck, even as a strong current began pushing it downstream.  Eyewitness John Holt says a giant tractor was dispatched to pick him up.

“It was tense,” he recalls. “From here you could hear the guy yelling ‘take the life jacket, take the life jacket,’ but I think the guy was so excited to be rescued he forgot to be careful.”

Once the water recedes, the damage will be assessed and most think it will be a huge challenge. Most of the 200 acre park is submerged, and a pedestrian bridge has been washed away by the fast moving Elbow River—just one year after the Stampede’s centennial.

Former Calgary Flame Theo Fleury  tweeted that the Scotiabank Saddledome is also a mess.

There has been significant water damage to the Saddledome’s event level, and staff need to wait for water to recede to assess the full extent of the damage. Restoration planning is underway.

Staff of the Calgary Flames, Hitmen and Roughnecks are asked to not attempt to go to the Saddledome until further notice.

Surveying the landscape from Scotsman’s Hill, bystander Ian Walsh is almost hoping against hope.

“I know it’s a big part of our city, and I know they want to open up, but this looks like a lot of work. Boy, it’s pretty heartbreaking to look at it.”

The Stampede says they’re ready for the challenge of starting over.

“Our best hope,” says Kadatz, “is we get our folks activated as soon as we can and begin working on delivering Stampede 2013.”

The Stampede is scheduled to begin in two weeks.