Shine Fm Blog

High Water Advisory for Calgary Communities - Watch for basement flooding

If you live in:

Bonnybrook, Bowness, City Hall, Chinatown, Downtown, East Village, Eau Claire, Elbow Park, Hillhurst, Inglewood, Misson, Parkdale, Parkhill, Rideau Park, Riverdale, Roxboro, Sunnyside and Stanley Park

you may want to install a basement drain cap or shove some rags down the basement drain as soon as you can.  The city has issued a High Water Advisory for the next few days, as we're expecting more rain.  Here's the official text:

Alberta Environment’s River Forecast Centre is predicting an increased flow in the Bow and Elbow Rivers that could raise the groundwater table, and possibly cause basement seepage in low-lying areas in the following communities: Bonnybrook, Bowness, City Hall, Chinatown, Downtown, East Village, Eau Claire, Elbow Park, Hillhurst, Inglewood, Misson, Parkdale, Parkhill, Rideau Park, Riverdale, Roxboro, Sunnyside and Stanley Park.

Affected residents are advised to take the following recommended measures:

• Install the cap in the basement sewer floor drain. If the cap cannot be found, stuff rags down the floor drain tightly enough to help prevent sewage from backing into the basement. Then secure the rags by placing a heavy object on top.
• Plug basement toilets, shower drains, sinks, and sewer standpipe openings in the same way. (The standpipe may be located by following the discharge hose from a clothes washer or a water softener)
• Move valuables such as paintings, photographs and personal and legal documents from the basement or a lower floor to an upper floor.
• Remove newspapers from basements because wet newspaper can stain carpets with ink.
• Do not sleep in the basement until the river level recedes.
• Residents who have basement sumps should check them for water periodically and make sure they are working.

Businesses within the affected areas should consider moving business records and dangerous goods from basements or lower floors to upper floors. These businesses should also secure any waste stored at ground level.

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