Flood waters recede in drenched Lethbridge

The mayor of Lethbridge lifted a state of local emergency Wednesday morning as flood waters from an intense storm began to recede in the southern Alberta city.

More than 45 millimetres of rain fell — about the average amount the city gets in the entire month of July — in about 90 minutes on Tuesday afternoon, blowing covers off manholes and flooding underpasses and basements.

"We're now in a cleanup period. The water's receded," Mayor Bob Tarleck told CBC News on Wednesday.

"The first thing we're doing is checking our parks and all of our infrastructure to make sure that that's all right. Fortunately, our water system worked well throughout the process."

City officials said residents are safe to resume normal water usage, and that there are no concerns with the quality of drinking water.

Tarleck said as many as 60 homes had flooded basements, most of them caused by sewage backup. He said the city is applying to the province for disaster recovery funding, and advised homeowners to take photos or video of any damage to help in their insurance claims and other applications for assistance.

The mayor also praised residents in his city, about 200 kilometres south of Calgary, who helped bail out their neighbours and rescue a driver whose vehicle was stuck in a flooded underpass.

Anyone in a basement suite that was damaged by flooding and cannot find a place to stay is asked to call the city's emergency social services at (403) 315-1867 for alternative, short-term accommodation.

No injuries were reported from the deluge.

Transit service and Canada Day celebrations, including fireworks, were cancelled because of the storm.