Flood claims one life and damages 1,230 structures
During a media briefing on April 29, Mayor Don Scott confirmed there has been one water related death that occurred the night prior in Fort McKay.
Him and Director of Emergency Management, Scott Davis offered their condolences to the northern community.
No further details on the death have been released at this time.
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Mayor Scott also said 1,230 structures have been damaged.
“At least that is the initial analysis. The number of impacted structures from the fire was 2,579, so we’re at almost half, it is a very significant amount of damage.”
The Regional Emergency Coordination Centre is working hard to assess the impacts through ground, air, and boat reconnaissance. At this time, the preliminary numbers of structures impacted are an estimate and will likely change as further assessments are performed.
- Lower townsite: 1044
- Ptarmigan Court Trailer Park: 67
- Waterways: 53
- Taiga Nova Industrial Park: 49
- Draper: 10
Mandatory Evacuation Orders remain in effect for the lower townsite excluding the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre and Grayling Terrace.
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READ MORE: Mandatory evacuation order for all of downtown Fort McMurray
Damage assessment has begun, and a phased re-entry plan is being developed.
“The risk in areas under Mandatory Evacuation Orders remains high as water can become electrically charged or ice can shift, causing further flooding and water and debris to begin moving very quickly,” said Scott Davis, Director of Emergency Management. “Members of the public travelling into these locations are putting themselves, first responders and others at risk of a serious incident. Access to the Lower Townsite is closed and vehicles parked on the side of Highway 63 will be towed. For your safety and the safety of others, please respect the closures and seriousness of this situation.”
Once it is safe to be in the impacted areas, there will be a process in place, which will be announced at a later date, to allow residents and local business owners to visit their property.
Teams are preparing to do rapid damage assessments to expedite re-entry. Additional information will be announced in the days ahead.
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Maps of the extent of flooding are available on the Municipal website and are updated once enough reconnaissance is done, however, water levels fluctuate and can change quickly.
More information about the rivers systems in the region, is available online.
For all insurance related questions, contact your insurance provider or the Insurance Bureau of Canada online or by calling 1-877-227-5422.
For those without insurance, the Municipality is working to set-up a support program with community partners and organizations. Details will be announced shortly.
Everyone is encouraged to sign up to receive regular Community Updates via email at rmwb.ca/floodupdate
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For further questions, please call Pulse at 780-743-7000 or 1-800-973-9663.
The ice jam is starting to break up and water levels have receded since this morning.