THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2013
VOL. 91 | NO. 26 | $4.25
FARM PROGRESS |
SERVING WESTERN CANADIAN FARM FAMILIES SINCE 1923
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RECORD DAY
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WWW.PRODUCER.COM
WATER | UNPREDICTABILITY
Wild weather sign of ‘era of instability’ BY ED WHITE WINNIPEG BUREAU
A combine was among a variety of farm equipment used to evacuate residents of High River, Alta., last week when flood waters inundated the town. An evacuation order remained in effect as of Monday for all of High River. | MIKE STURK PHOTO
As he prepared to address a conference about the increasing instability of western Canadian weather, Bob Sandford’s son texted him with the perfect prop: “The river is destroying everything right now,” the text said. “It’s nuts. The river’s gone wild here.” It wasn’t a setup. The river truly was destroying substantial parts of Sandford’s home town of Canmore, Alta., as heavy rain created massive, flash flooding that has damaged communities from Canmore to Calgary to High River to Medicine Hat. While seeming like a freak event, Sandford’s main point in his presentation to the Keeping Water On The Land conference in Winnipeg was that sudden floods, profound drought and other forms of weather, although seen as extreme, are likely to become much more common than in the past. That’s going to be a problem for farmers who rely on the weather being somewhat predictable. SEE WILD WEATHER, PAGE 2
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HISTORIC FLOOD | DESTRUCTION, SUPPORT
Alberta in cleanup mode
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$1 billion in provincial emergency funding | Ottawa will also contribute toward recovery BY BARB GLEN LETHBRIDGE BUREAU
The difficult and expensive process of cleanup after Alberta’s worst flood in history began earlier this week. The province announced $1 billion in emergency funding June 24 as a first phase in recovery from the damage inflicted in at least 25 cities, towns, rural communities and municipalities. Government officials were not willing to speculate on the eventual cost of damage and cleanup, which saw massive flooding in Calgary’s downtown and riverfront regions, devastation in the town of High River and major damage to homes and infrastructure in many towns and rural areas along the eastern slopes
of the Rockies. Four people are confirmed dead as a result of the flood and a fourth remained missing as of June 24. The widespread flooding was caused by 280 to 340 millimetres of rain that fell in some areas within a 48 hour period June 19-22. Other regions saw greater or lesser amounts fall on already saturated land and run into the river system. “It’s been shocking to see the unbelievable destruction and the powerful impact of these floods,” said Alberta premier Alison Redford, who toured flooded areas extensively June 21-24. “We will live with this forever. I’ve seen an Alberta that I think few of us could imagine just a short time ago.” Redford promised government
support for recovery efforts and said the federal government will also contribute, although details of that were not available at press time. “We know now that most of the losses that are involved were uninsurable, but I want you to know that that’s why we have a disaster recovery fund. It is there to address those gaps,” Redford said. Initial direct support will be provided to residents who cannot yet return to their homes because of evacuation orders or flood damage. Adults who qualify were to be issued pre-loaded debit cards with up to $1,250 per adult and $500 per child. Initial funds will also be used to provide food and clothing to those displaced and begin repairing roads,
bridges and other infrastructure, the government announced. The flood is the largest in provincial history in terms of its speed, scale and number of people affected. “The complexities of the recovery and the rebuilding will be immense, but my message today is that your government is mobilizing and we will do what’s necessary to get the job done. “We’re going to get it done regardless of the cost.” Redford also promised protection for Albertans against price gouging and consumer fraud and said anyone who takes advantage of flood victims for personal gain will be prosecuted. SEE ALBERTA CLEANING UP, PAGE 3
FOR MORE FLOOD STORIES AND PHOTOS SEE PAGES 3, 4 AND 61. VISIT WWW.PRODUCER.COM AND CLICK ON ALBERTA FLOODING UPDATES FOR THE LATEST NEWS
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The Western Producer is published in Saskatoon by Western Producer Publications, which is owned by GVIC Communications Corp. Publisher: Shaun Jessome Publications Mail Agreement No. 40069240
JUNE 27, 2013 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Box 2500, Saskatoon, SK. S7K 2C4