The town of Edson continued to face localized flooding Tuesday after heavy rainfall across west-central Alberta Sunday and Monday.
More than 105 millimetres of rain fell in Edson in the span of just 48 hours — more than the region would typically see for the entire month of June.
Mayor Kevin Zahara said Edson saw 133 mm over the last week.
“That’s a one-in-25-to-50-year flood event for us, and more rain than we usually see in a month, so that’s a lot for a community to deal with.
“Our infrastructure — no town infrastructure, city infrastructure — can handle that much water at that amount of time,” he said Monday.
A high water level emergency alert was issued for the town at 4 p.m. Monday due to heavy rainfall, warning of localized flooding in areas around creeks and ponds in and around the community,” the Alberta Emergency Alert explained.
“Sixth Avenue is closed at 47 Street to allow pumps to be set up. Water is flowing across 2 Avenue (Highway 16 East) near 48 Street and drivers are warned to use extreme caution.”
The town’s storm sewer system was running at capacity, town officials said Monday night. It’s designed to handle heavy rainfall events, officials said, but unprecedented storm surges are challenging to handle.
The Edson landfill was closed “until further notice” due to deteriorating road conditions and bridge concerns.
The town office was also closed because many staff members were redeployed to help with emergency operations.
A state of local emergency was declared by the town due to heavy rainfall and flooding on Monday.
Zahara said he was happy to wake up Tuesday to no rain.
“The rain stopped earlier this morning so the water levels have started to recede actually quite significantly here in the last few hours, so we’re very happy about that and hopefully the rain will continue to stay away.
“We’ve been asking for rain for so long and it all came at once, which is great to see for the forest fire situation, but obviously not for what we’re seeing today.”
No one has been hurt, the mayor said, and property damage can be fixed. Zahara said there is some damage to road infrastructure, culverts and sinkholes. He expects 6 Avenue to be closed for some time.
“There’s quite a bit of damage to the embankment near that road, so it’s going to be closed for a while. They’re still pumping water away from that location. Crews worked through the night, moving water… away from important infrastructure.”
There is also a risk of contamination in water — whether that’s in some local creeks or in the water in people’s basements.
“We’re working closely with Yellowhead County,” Zahara said, explaining the county is a very large geographic area struggling with multiple emergencies.
“We send them our support. They’re our neighbours, they’re our friends, we’re really one community. It’s tough to watch to see this damage throughout the region.
“We’re strong, resilient people. We can’t control what Mother Nature throws our way; we just have to deal with it,” Zahara said.
“We’ll get through it together.”
About 85 kilometres west of Edson, Hinton was also facing some serious flooding issues.
Environment Canada’s rainfall warning for Yellowhead County was lifted at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Yellowhead County CAO Luc Mercier said Tuesday that they’ve called in more resources and have crews sandbagging and creating berms in key places.
He said the Alberta Rivers’ forecasts expect the water to peak on Wednesday night and ease into Thursday.
“Until then, we have to stay vigilant.
“Roads with flowing waters or waters flowing over them sometimes hide dangers underneath… or the integrity of the road has been compromised,” Mercier stressed.
“Have extreme caution on all our roads in Yellowhead County.”
An emergency alert was issued more broadly — for all of Yellowhead County — on Monday afternoon.
“We are experiencing heavy rainfall resulting in overland flooding, snow accumulation, fallen powerlines, and in some areas, power outages. Please take immediate action to ensure your safety and the safety of those around you, including livestock,” the alert said.
A shelter-in-place order was issued Tuesday morning for Peers, a hamlet in Yellowhead County, due to heavy rain, rising water and a compromised bridge. Emergency responders will assist in getting people out of the area, the county added.
“We’ve talked to all the residents and everyone is safe but no one can get in or out,” Mercier said. “There’s no other egress.”
Mercier said the evacuation order for lower Robb, which was issued Monday, will remain in place until at least Wednesday.
“We go from wildfires and we’re praying for water and now we’re asking for the water to shut off,” Yellowhead County Mayor Mayor Wade Williams said Tuesday.
In a 2 p.m. update, he said the rains had stopped and there were breaks of sunshine.
“It’s been a real rodeo here,” Williams said. “From the fires to the rain and then to the snow up there that took out the power lines.
“We’re just jumping from one emergency to another and it’s tough to handle. Crews are tired. Everyone is tired, but we can’t stop.”
Sara Hoffman, a meteorologist for Environment and Climate Change Canada, said west-central Alberta exceeded its “June normal” when it comes to rainfall, “which is very interesting considering we started the month off well below normal.”
She said the first two weeks of June were incredibly dry. Calgary had recorded zero precipitation and Edmonton recorded just 0.5 mm.
“This amount of rain, at this time, especially for west-central portions of the province, is a little bit unusual and not as common. These rainfall amounts in 24 hours are definitely not the norm,” Hoffman said.
“The most rain fell west of us in Yellowhead County, around Hendrickson Creek and the Edson area.”
This situation comes after Edson was forced to evacuate twice in the span of a month due to wildfires.
“We asked for rain and boy, did we get it. Way too much and if it wants to stop now, I’m thinking we would be very happy about that,” Zahara said.
“Really shocking. From one extreme to the next.”
Edson has a population of about 8,000 people and is located about 180 kilometres west of Edmonton.
Information for Edson residents:
If you’re experiencing flooding and need immediate assistance, call the after-hours line at 780-723-6300 and crews will respond when they can.
If your basement is flooding, contact the main office at 780-723-4401 to register the issue.
Keep receipts and document everything. Contact your insurance company.
Avoid walking and driving through flood waters.
Town officials said there have been people “out on kayaks and playing in floodwaters. Please avoid being in or near flooded areas. During a flood, there could be sudden water surges and currents that could create dangerous situations.”
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