Some Calgary flood evacuation orders expected to lift

Though much of Calgary remains underwater including parts of an eerily quiet downtown some of the 75 000 flood evacuees are being allowed to go back home.

The city is still in a state of emergency but they are aiming to reopen six neighbourhoods maybe more said Calgary Emergency Management Agency director Bruce Burrell.

Read Medicine Hat Lethbridge brace as water heads downstreamMap See which Calgary neighbourhoods are affected See Flood areas before and afterLive updates The latest from CBC reporters Alberta officials See Your photos of southern Alberta floodsList Alberta emergency contacts

Neighbourhoods that did not sustain water damage will be opened in portions as the city works to reopen roads and get utilities working.

Only make an attempt to return to your home if you have clear messaging from the City of Calgary that that area has been opened up and it's safe to do so said Burrell.

If we have convergence of a lot of people trying to return early it will put a strain on our resources the roads will become congested and it will become much more difficult to re enter in an organized manner.

As the sun rose over much of the city Saturday morning the Elbow River is coming steadily down and the Bow is seeing improvements too said Burrell.

Downtown power could be off for days

Downtown could remain closed for four to five days as roads are heavily flooded said Burrell. Much of the core does not have power.

Crews are racing to pump water from substations and restore electricity to neighbourhoods but repairs and necessary work to dry out then test equipment inside power stations means the downtown area may be left in the dark until the middle of the week.

When I came here this morning when you looked down in this area all you saw was darkness CBC's Terry Reith said standing above the former parking lot of the Calgary Curling Club now submerged in the murky waters of the Bow River.

Now you can start to see some of the damage and the impact of the water up to the bumpers of cars he said showing an overhead view that also revealed an abandoned police cruiser.

At one point water in the Saddledome arena home of the Calgary Flames was reported to have risen up to the 10th row of seats causing millions of dollars in damage. The Calgary Stampede grounds were also flooded from the deluge that has claimed at least three lives in Alberta. The Stampede is scheduled to take place in just two weeks.

The worst of the rainy weather appears to be over for Calgary however and residents in the community of Discovery Ridge learned this morning that some were given the go ahead to return to homes that are on higher ground.

View Calgary flood evacuation areas road closures in a larger map175 000 Albertans under evacuation orders MAJOR FLOODING A map of Canada's biggest floods in the last decade A map of Canada's biggest floods in the last decade

Residents in southeastern regions of the province are now bracing for possible floods particularly in the cities of Medicine Hat and Lethbridge downstream from Calgary.

Medicine Hat is in a state of emergency as flood waters there are expected to crest at 2 p.m. MT.

David Sands a spokesperson with the government of Alberta said that 22 communities were still under states of emergency as of this morning.

Confluence of factors led to flooding

Torrential rain last week up to 200 millimetres in some places as well as saturated ground and the local geography that encourages water to run downhill quickly were among a confluence of factors leading up to the devastation.

The RCMP say at least three people have died in the floodwaters. Their bodies were discovered in the Highwood River in the community of High River.

That community just south of Calgary was one of the hardest hit areas. It is estimated half the people experienced flooding in their homes. Roads and bridges have been swamped police have cut off access to most of the town and helicopters have been circling overhead. Cars lie submerged in water abandoned while backhoes work in vain to push water back from houses.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper once a long time Calgary resident met with Alberta Premier Alison Redford and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi to visit the city s Emergency Operation Centre on Friday.

I never imagined we could have a flood of this magnitude in this country he said.

The magnitude is just extraordinary. It is stunning.

Most officials are not speculating how long it will take for the rest of the evacuation orders to be lifted in the city.

In Calgary it doesn't look like it has receded very much and in fact there is some danger that the Bow River which is already extremely high could rise a little bit more as more of this water works its way down from the mountains Reith reported from Calgary.

Several substations that supply the downtown area were swamped. That water must be pumped and the equipment must be dried before the stations are fired up again.

With files from The Canadian Press

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