The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, about 430 kilometres north of Edmonton, has issued an evacuation alert for residents of Draper, situated along the banks of the Clearwater River, about 12 kilometres southeast of Fort McMurray.
The alert was issued shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday because of an ice jam in the river that is causing water levels to rise, which the municipality fears could cause overland flooding in low-lying areas.
So far, there has been no evacuation order issued.
However, residents are being told they should “be ready to evacuate on short notice,” have an emergency plan, including a 72-hour emergency kit, arrange with neighbours to advise one another in case of an emergency situation, notify emergency responders of any vulnerable residents who may need help evacuating, review their tenant or home insurance policies in case they need to be used and download the Alberta Emergency Alert app.
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Residents are also being advised to stay away from riverbanks and flowing water and to monitor the town’s website or its social media posts for the latest information on the flood danger, as well as the provincial rivers website.
The 2025 census says there are approximately 137 residents in the community of Draper, which is one of the smallest communities in the region.
Fort McMurray should have an AI center that would ‘consume’ all the river water so that there is no flooding. 🙃