UPDATE – 11:30 p.m. Saturday, June 24
The City of Red Deer has announced the state of local emergency has been lifted.
“We are happy to say that the worst is behind us,” said Mayor Tara Veer. “We have some cleanup work to do, and can now move back into regular operations.”
More information is below and at RedDeer.ca.
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UPDATE – 11 a.m. Saturday, June 24
In a tweet this morning, the City of Red Deer had this to say regarding cleanup following Tuesday’s windstorm:
The Executive Director of the Kerry Wood Nature Centre also released this message:
The state of local emergency remains in effect until the City says otherwise. More information can be found below or at www.RedDeer.ca/whats-happening.
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UPDATE – 7 p.m. Friday, June 23
The number of homes in Red Deer without power is down to 50, after the City said they had cut that number to 200 earlier this morning.
Crews are putting all efforts into restoring power to the remaining residences and also into ensuring all power sources are stable through the weekend, the City says in a release late Friday evening.
“Power is nearly restored across the city, but there is still work to do and a lot of clean-up that needs to happen. Many neighbourhoods and properties sustained significant damage, and in some cases this clean-up could take up to five weeks or more,” said Karen Mann, Emergency Operations Centre Director. “There may be downed trees that remain in our parks for quite some time, specifically those that are not a safety risk to people or property.”
Mann added while crews are making their way around the city, they know full well that citizens are also hard at work trying to clean up as best as possible.
“We have truly seen the community coming together, offering everything from beds, meals and power to neighbours or helping with fallen trees and damage in one another’s yards,” she said.
Meanwhile, the City wants you to tell them about a neighbour, friend or family member who helped you out this week. You can submit your story to RedDeer.ca/greatneighbours by July 14 to win a $100 Recreation, Parks and Culture gift card.
Other information about garbage, yard waste and how you can obtain help through the Red Cross or Volunteer Central, for example, is in the update below.
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UPDATE 9 a.m. Friday, June 23
Fifty per cent of the remaining 400 homes in Red Deer without power woke up early this morning to the joyous return of electricity.
The City of Red Deer provided this update on their Facebook page.
During a news conference Friday morning at City Hall, Mayor Tara Veer spoke of the historical significance of the storm.
“The Emergency Operations Centre has confirmed it will go down in the record books as causing the most complex widespread power outage in our community since 1986,” she said.
Riverside Light Industrial and some other small pockets around the City are the only areas left without power. Because of this, the state of local emergency remains in effect.
“Our main focus continues to be the safety of Red Deerians and we will continue to work until we can restore power to those 200 households. Immediate cleanup will take about five weeks to complete with some long-term work stretching into fall,” she said.
“We have many offers of support to assist citizens in terms of supporting the cleanup efforts. We encourage citizens to please contact Volunteer Central if you are able and willing to help our fellow Red Deerians with light yard work as a result of Tuesday’s windstorm. The Red Cross has continued to offer their assistance and will continue to be available today to citizens that need food vouchers or other support. Please contact the Red Cross directly or our Emergency Call Centre which remains in effect at 403-342-8111.”
If you are still without power, know of any blocked roadways, or have a vehicle that has a tree or significant debris on it, please call The City at 403-342-8111.
Veer also mentioned that City of Edmonton crews have joined local staff to assess the park system. Edmonton has sent two bucket trucks with chippers as well as five staff.
Residents in impacted neighbourhoods with overhead power lines are asked to visibly inspect the meter base, and power service mast located on the side of your home that connects to the overhead power line. If you see any damages, do not touch them – contact an electrician immediately.
As previously reported, the snow storage site at Edgar Industrial will be open to collect fallen branches and trees until July 3. Residents can also bring green branches to the City’s Waste Management Facility free of charge. In addition to regular hours, the Waste Management Facility will open on Sunday, June 25 and next Sunday, July 2 from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to accept resident waste from the storm.
“We are relaxing our waste bag limit for areas affected by the power outage,” said Craig Curtis, City Manager. “The relaxation is in effect for these areas until June 29.”
Rec facilities and library branches continue to provide access to showers, WiFi and electrical outlets.
Trails remain closed, but some parks have reopened, including the picnic area at McKenzie Trails, Bower Ponds, Great Chief Park, Rotary Picnic Park, Rotary Recreation Park, Heritage Square and Lions Campground.
Related: Thursday afternoon storm update
