A police line closes off access to a footpath and a bridge that lead to the Calgary Zoo, Friday, June 21, 2013. Heavy rains have caused flooding, closed roads, and forced evacuations.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
The city of Calgary says the state of emergency will remain for at least seven days, and possibly longer.
As the flood cleanup and recovery across the province continues, Calgary Emergency Management Agency director Bruce Burrell said keeping the state of emergency in place gives the city additional powers, making it easier to acquire materials and services.
Early Wednesday morning Macleod Trail, a main thoroughfare heavily damaged in the flooding, re-opened. Even though 70 per cent of the road network in the flooded area has been restored, many city roads and bridges are still closed.
City officials are asking non-essential staff to stay away from downtown, where some buildings still stand dark, to make the recovery go more smoothly.
Thousands of Calgary homes also remain without power. Streets in badly flooded areas remain muddy, and littered with debris – as well as ruined personal possessions. Water pumps are running around the clock at homes and businesses.
Kelly Cryderman