RCMP begin returning guns to High River owners
Guns out in the open were seized as officers inspected homes for flood victims
RCMP announced Sunday they are in the process of returning guns that were seized earlier this week from High River homeowners during flood inspections.
Guns left unsecured were seized by police during a search and rescue operation that saw RCMP enter High River homes in search of flood victims. The move prompted the Prime Minister's Office to issue a statement saying the guns should be returned as soon as possible.
"If any firearms were taken, we expect they will be returned to their owners as soon as possible," the statement said. "We believe the RCMP should focus on more important tasks such as protecting life and private property."
Gun owners are asked to call the RCMP to provide current contact information. They will then be escorted to the RCMP detachment to retrieve their gun.
The return comes one day after the first wave of High River residents began to return for the first time in a week to inspect their homes.
Heather Dupont says her home was fine except for a mess that her three cats made.
Ryan Domes escaped with a flooded basement.
But Kyle Hansen's property fared worse.
His backyard was on the High Golf and Country Club and the greens are covered with water and deep layers of mud that already is showing cracks from the hot sun.
Some 5,000 residents were allowed to return to their homes to assess the damage.
Authorities ordered all 13,000 residents of the town south of Calgary to leave when the Highwood River burst over its banks, devastating the town.
The next influx of people allowed back into their homes will be in about a week and the hardest hit neighbourhoods could be five more weeks.