YYC Flood, First hand – Updated

A close friend of mine happened to be one of the few souls in the downtown core Friday morning when the high waters began to crest the banks and flood the city. He was able to catch some firsthand shots of the devastation before fleeing which he has agreed I can share here.

(Apparently this interesting character was telling anyone who would listen that people in Winnipeg had to put up with stuff like this all the time.)

(The object you see below the tree is a submerged car)

(I was at the James Joyce on Wednesday to watch the game with some friends, readers and FN contributors. It’s awful and surreal to see it flooded like this just two days later)

(Glenmore reservoir)

(Finally, McKinnon Flats, just outside of Calgary)

Even pictures as close as this are a poor substitution for the real thing. It’s actually impossible to convey the true extent and the terrible majesty of the flood in Calgary right now. A native Calgarian since birth, I have personally never experienced anything like it.

All FN contributors seem to have come through this mess relatively unscathed. I am one of the lucky few people living in an area of town that is mostly unaffected by the disaster, though I would like to thank everyone who expressed concern and well wishes over twitter the last few days.

In contrast to all the terrible things have happened since Friday, I’d like to say that the city of Calgary, from it’s officials right to down the average Joe, has responded admirably in the face of a rare and nearly impossible situation. Mother Nature’s power has been awe-inspiring, but so too has the city’s ability to forge on despite it.

My friend has added some new shots of other portions of the city this morning. Mostly from the Glenmore/southeast portion of Calgary.