Fourteen days after historic flooding caused millions of dollars worth of damage in the northwest community, a Friday evening thunderstorm left Sunnyside under a significant amount of water.
At approximately 6:30 p.m., fire crews, city crews and emergency officials responded to the neighbourhood in an attempt to ease the flood devastation.
A buildup of silt and debris in the drainage system, as well as the fact the ground remains saturated from previous flooding, has left the water with nowhere to go.
"There's definitely something wrong with the storm sewers in this part of our neighbourhood," says Monvid Gertners, a Sunnyside resident.
Water, as deep as half a metre in some locations, remained in the community for nearly an hour before it made its way through city drains.
"The fact that the river's so high, there's not a natural gradient to drain the water from these neighbourhoods," says Dan Limacher, a representative of the City of Calgary Water Services.
On Saturday, a city taskforce will visit Sunnyside residents victimized by Friday's flooding to address needs for pumping and to restore essential services to homes.
Anyone experiencing water issues in their home was asked to contact 3-1-1. Between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m., the city received 47 calls pertaining to overwhelmed catch basins on city streets. Nearly a third of the calls were from Sunnyside.
According to city officials, flooding was also observed in the following areas:
- The Calgary Automall
- Intersection of Heritage Dr. and Blackfoot Trail S.E
- Glenmore Trail near the Macleod Trail overpass
A section of Memorial Drive in the Sunnyside area was closed to traffic during Friday's flooding.
