2,000 ordered out of flooded areas

About 2,000 people in Calgary are being asked to leave their homes because of unprecedented flooding in the Bow and Elbow Rivers and Fish Creek.

Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier has declared a state of emergency in the city because of the severity of the threat.

"This is a critical situation. The flow of water from the Elbow and Bow Rivers is unprecedented," he said.

The evacuation order was issued as flood waters threatened to spill over the Glenmore Dam, which controls volumes on the Elbow River.

The order was focused on homes and apartments near the river south of the city centre.

The city said Calgary police will contact affected residents directly by going door to door.

More than 1,000 city employees are dealing with the emergency.

The normal flow rate in one area is 80 cubic meters per second, the mayor said, but "we are anticipating by midnight a flow rate of 400 cubic meters per second."

The emergency in Calgary followed problems in Sundre to the northwest, where about 800 people were forced to leave for higher ground as the Red Deer River rose.

Even the emergency operations centre is being moved, CBC Radio reported.

"Our biggest concern now is exit out of town," Mayor Roy Cummings said. Two of four exits from the town northwest of Calgary are impassable, and "if we lose those (other) exits, we won't have a place to go, or to get out. "

Sundre residents were asked to head to Olds College in Olds, about 40 kilometers east, for shelter.

In Red Deer County, about 50 properties are covered by an evacuation order for area between the Dickson Dam and Red Deer.

The Red Deer River is rising as the flow increases from the dam, and "we're anticipating that we haven't reached the peak yet," said Rick Henderson, the director of protective services for the county. "It's still raining here and still raining upstream and we're confident we're going to get more water."

The Bow River is at the highest level in 10 or 15 years, said Wolf Keller, Calgary's director of wastewater.

Many highways and roads remain closed because of flooding, including the Trans-Canada and at least six other roads just west of Calgary. In Cochrane, the RCMP said traffic has delayed crews moving sandbags, causing more flooding.

Worst over south of Calgary

But officials in Okotoks, south of Calgary, and High River, further south still, said they believe the worst is over.

An evacuation order for three communities in High River was lifted Saturday evening, allowing 150 people to return home.

In High River, the rain forced residents from their homes for the second time in just over a week.

• FROM JUNE 8, 2005: Alberta flood evacuees allowed to return

Emergency services went door-to-door Friday night to get evacuees out, and helicopters rescued at least 50 people from flooded campgrounds.

Some regions have received as much rain this June as they normally receive all year.

Melville cleans up

In Saskatchewan, the town of Melville is in cleanup mode after a severe storm dumped 100 millimetres of rain in less than an hour.

The sewer system was unable to deal with the water and backed up, flooding about 400 basements.

Mayor Wilfred Reiger says 125 people living in the community of 4,600 left their homes and moved to local hotels Friday night.

"We are packing up everything from books to collectibles, anything that was on the floor. Whatever you had, everything is destroyed," said Daryl Leshko a resident of Melville whose garage was filled with water.