Residents of Chestermere are still mopping up after a summer storm caused flooding on Sunday and with more rain in the forecast many are struggling to get the upper hand on the cleanup.

Residents are still hard at work cleaning up after the wild weather on Sunday, filling garbage bags and dumpsters with water-logged material and personal items.

City officials are calling the storm a historic event, one that the community only sees about once every 100 years.

About 300 homes were directly affected and basements and backyards quickly filled with water and back up from sewer systems.

The city says the main problem came from overland flooding as the sewer system just wasn’t built to handle so much storm water.

Ray Macintosh, with Chestermere Utilities Inc., says it would be impossible to fix the system. “You can’t retrofit a system. The pipe in the ground is as big as its going to get. You can’t redo that. It was designed for a 10 in 100 year storm, and we had beyond that. I’m crossing my fingers it doesn’t happen again.”

More rain hit the area on Tuesday and homeowners were faced with additional flooding.

The city says it is unknown how many homes are affected by this latest storm and officials are asking residents to follow a few guideines if they are experiencing flooding:

  • Contact 911 for immediate emergency
  • Secure your home:
    Move electronics away from water immediately
    Bring essential items to higher levels in home
    Remove harmful chemicals in their containers from affected area(s)
  • Keep children and pets away from affected area(s)
  • Shut off all electrical power
  • Prepare a safety kit with essential medications and first aid materials
  • Do not use sewage and water lines
  • Do not enter flood waters unless absolutely necessary – move to higher ground

After flooding residents should:

  • Call your insurance company to report damaged property
    Take pictures of damaged property during/after flooding for insurance purposes
    If you are concerned about your insurance coverage, the City is applying to the Provincial Government for flooding assistance for those affected. It may take some time to hear back about from the Provincial Government but the City will post any information we receive on our website, Facebook, and Twitter accounts once we hear anything.
  • CUI will be placing bins around the City for discarding damaged items. Visit www.cuinc.ca for locations
  • The City will be offering one FREE basement inspection per affected home for electrical, gas/plumbing, and building to anyone that needs it. Call them at 403-207-7075 to book an inspection. Homeowners may need to call other professionals for different types of inspections
  • Ensure power, gas, and water supplies/systems are checked by a professional before further use.

Officials are also asking people to avoid driving through roads covered in water to avoid splashing water back onto properties.

The City of Chestermere is providing updates on the flooding on its website. Click HERE for more information.