A fierce summer storm that rolled through Edson, Alta., on Sunday night had many residents of the town dealing with flooding and power outages a day later.
“The immense amount of rain we had in a short time frame, coupled with extreme winds, resulted in some flooding and power outages last night,” town officials said in a social media post on Monday afternoon.
“Crews are continuing to work on cleanup and ensuring power is back on.”
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, about 42 mm of rain fell in the area between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday. At one point, wind gusts reached 107 km/h.
Town officials said in addition to crews working to restore power to homes and businesses experiencing outages, crews were also clearing trees and debris.
“Please stay home and avoid obstructing their work,” they said.
Officials told Global News the storm mostly impacted the north and west sections of the town.
Officials have also asked residents to stay off park trails until town employees can assess their condition.
Premier Danielle Smith arrived in Edson on Monday afternoon where she met with Mayor Kevin Zahara and West Yellowhead MLA Martin Long to survey the storm damage.
Town officials said Smith also spoke to local leaders about infrastructure needs and flood mitigation.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith met with Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara and MLA Martin Long today to discuss infrastructure needs, flood mitigation measures, the need to improve Highway 16 infrastructure, and to survey the damage following last night’s intense storm. pic.twitter.com/pLWT94YZTs
— Town of Edson (@townofedson) August 5, 2024
Zahara said he believes there is “no infrastructure that is going to handle 42 mm of rain within an hour.”
“Crews had pumps and everything ready to go,” he said. “I can’t say enough about this community. They always rally together.”
Edson is located about 200 kilometres west of Edmonton.
Last year, Edson was hit with over 105 mm of rain in a span of just 48 hours in June and saw localized flooding in the area.
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