REMEMBERING THE NUMBERS

May 9, 2016 by CRC Action Group in News

Fatalities in Alberta

  • 3 people drowned near High River and 1 person killed in a related accident
  • 1 person drowned in Mission, Calgary

 

Alberta: compiled by the Canadian Press (2014)

  • $6 billion: The Alberta Government’s estimated cost for the flood. (Former Finance Minister Doug Horner)
  • 30: The number of communities the Government says were affected by flooding. (Source: The Alberta Government)
  • 100,000: The estimated number of people affected by flooding. (Source: The Alberta Government)
  • 650,000: The estimated number of work hours it took to get Calgary’s damaged Saddledome ready for a concert event. (Source: Robert Blanchard, director of building operations for the Saddledome)

 

Calgary: compiled by CBC Calgary (2013)

  • Number of City communities fully or partially evacuated: 32
  • Number of people forced out of their homes: 80,000
  • Number of meals provided at evacuation centres: 68,000
  • Number of city staff who assisted with emergency response and initial recovery: 7,000
  • Number of water rescues performed by Calgary Fire Department in first 24 hours: 400+
    • The City expects its flood repair costs to top $500 million after widespread damages
    • Temporary berms constructed to protect infrastructure/communities: 16
    • Number of ENMAX customers affected by flood (metered): 39,837
    • LRT stations affected by flood: 5
    • All LRT service restored: 13 days after flood
    • Waste to City landfills in the weeks after flood: 98,000+ tonnes (three years of landfill space)
  • Floodwaters forced the closure of numerous roads, bridges and pathways.
    • Roadways closed by flood: 800 kilometres
    • Bridges closed by flood: 20
    • Pathways closed by flood: 93 kilometres
    • Parks closed by flood: 30
  • Thousands of Calgarians worked overtime in the flood aftermath
    • Number of Edmonton firefighters who assisted the Calgary Fire Department: 160
    • 311 phone calls in two weeks after flooding started: 100,000
    • Visits to city website during flood period: 1 million hits
    • Media releases issued during flood period: 140
    • State of local emergency: 14 days

 

Calgary: compiled by Calgary Chamber of Commerce (Flood Resiliency Report, 2014)

  • Estimated lost work hours: 1 million
  • Estimated reduction in Canadian GDP: $2 billion
  • 60% of all businesses impacted by flood
  • Large business in Calgary (>100 employees) were 2x as likely to have been impacted than smallest businesses (<5 employees)
  • 60% of all large businesses in Calgary were impacted
  • “It does seem that as a business becomes larger, the more vulnerable it is to these business interruptions.”
  • 79% of impacted businesses closed their offices for a period
  • “One salient point for policy makers is that a good portion of businesses support disaster mitigation and preparedness

 

Calgary: IBI-Golder Provincial Flood Damage Assessment Study, 2015

  • Projected number of buildings impacted by a 1:100 year flood + 75m ground water zone (Bow and Elbow):
    • 5620 single-family residential dwellings
    • 728 semi-detached, triplex and townhouse dwellings
    • 275 multi-family apartment buildings
    • 564 non-residential (commercial, industrial and institutional buildings)
  • Estimated “direct and indirect” damages (excludes “social” damages) from a 1:100 year flood on Elbow River only:
    • Residential $344 million
    • Commercial $43 million
    • Infrastructure $157 million
    • Stampede $196 million
    • TOTAL $741 million