Fire to floods: Edson declares local state of emergency due to massive rainfall
Global News
After being forced to evacuate twice in the the span of a month due to wildfires, the western Alberta town of Edson is now dealing with an opposite extreme: too much water.
To say it’s been a trying few weeks for the people of Edson, Alta., may be an understatement.
After being forced to evacuate twice in the the span of a month due to wildfires fuelled by dry conditions, residents in the town about 180 kilometres west of Edmonton are now dealing with an opposite extreme: too much water.
“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,” Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara said Monday afternoon.
More than 105 millimetres (mm) of rain has fallen in Edson in the past 48 hours and Zahara said the bulk of it — about 85 mm — came over the course of couple of hours Monday morning.
“Which is the types of rainfall you would see over a period of a month. So our infrastructure — no town infrastructure, city infrastructure — can handle that much water at that amount of time.”
As of 1 p.m., the town said 13 properties had reported flooding.
During a update in which a state of local emergency was declared by the town due to heavy rainfall and flooding, Zahara became overwhelmed with emotion.
“Listen, folks. This has been incredibly difficult the last number of weeks…” he said, choking up and having to pause to collect himself.