At first glance it looked like the lid to one of those blue recycling bins. I thought it was floating in the water until I realized it wasn’t moving.
That was my “uh oh” moment during the devastating floods of 2013.
Right then I realized just how massive a disaster this was becoming.
We were broadcasting live on Global Television and our helicopter was giving us a birds eye view as it headed toward Stanley Park. The camera was moving along the Elbow river, past the barbecue sites toward the little league baseball diamond.
I spotted the blue thing and wondered, “What the heck is that?”
It took a moment for me to realize that it was the top of the lifeguard chair at the outdoor pool.
Usually that chair is perched about six feet above the edge of the water so the lifeguards can keep on eye on the the kids in the pool. On that Friday morning, it looked to be about six inches out of the water.
Uh oh.
I’m sure everyone who was in Calgary that day has a similar story. Seeing the Stampede grounds under water. The downtown submerged. Community streets turned into rivers.
The devastation was incredible.
But as we reflect on that fateful time and where we’ve come in the past five years, the devastation isn’t what I remember most.
I’ll never forget the community spirit that emerged after the flooding.
While neighbours were quick to help out those in their community hit the hardest, thousands of strangers also turned up to lend a hand. Wearing gloves and gum boots they picked a house and started cleaning up.
Not a lot of small talk, a quick handshake, a “Hello,” and then off to the basement.
Very hard work, but so rewarding.
Mayor Naheed Nenshi says that incredible community spirit is the “silver lining” of Calgary’s worst flooding disaster.
I couldn’t agree more.