As of Tuesday, April 24, at 9:00 a.m., the state of local emergency for Wayne and Highway 10x remains in effect as does the mandatory evacuation.
Two residents utilized the Drumheller Agriculture Society’s Stampede Barn that has since become the main Reception Centre for last night.
In total, 27 people registered yesterday evening where there was a mixture of people coming in and calling in. Emergency personnel visited 30 residences to give the evacuation order.
“We just want to know that they are safe. That’s the main thing,” said Town of Drumheller Economic Development and Communications Officer Julia Fielding.
This mandatory evacuation is due to the need to ensure the integrity of the bridges along the highway.
Alberta Transportation is inspecting the road and bridges along Highway 10X and will be reporting back shortly.
“The reason for the evacuation is the bridges so we are very concerned about the integrity of the bridges so that is why we’ve asked people to leave because we can’t currently safely say that all the bridges are safe. We don’t want there to be an incident driving over the bridges,” said Fielding.
The Rosebud River dropped 2 inches overnight, however, there is still snow melt which is expected to affect the level.
The levels of the Red Deer River are being monitored through the Alberta Emergency Management Agency. It rose 0.5 metres overnight which is 1 metre below the levels seen on Saturday evening.
At this time, the Town is working with residents to find arrangements for livestock and help with sandbagging their homes.
Town crews continue to monitor river levels and debris. Additional updates will be forthcoming.
The Reception Centre at the Stampede Barn re-opened at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday morning for residents affected by the evacuation of Wayne and Highway 10X area.
Affected residents are asked to register to ensure that their safety has been accounted for. To register call 403-334-2564.
