A grain bin blocks the trailway that snakes through coulees leading to Echo Dale Regional Park on Wednesday following a violent windstorm earlier in the week. The structure left a path of broken fence posts as it rolled across the countryside before coming to rest in a dip. The trail and park are now closed to the public as cleanup continues. - NEWS PHOTO COLLIN GALLANT
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Violent wind that tore roofs off houses and threw grain bins across fields sliced a pathway directly between two more populated country subdivisions on Monday, new mapping from Cypress County shows.
Using drone footage, officials compiled data showing the most severe damage began in a swath that started at the east end of Sauder Reservoir to Range Road 70, north of Holsom Road.
The area “most critically” affected tightens when it reached a well-known bend of Highway 523, near Range Road 73, skirting by clusters of acreages on either side that include upwards of 60 homes.
The map only outlines severe damage, not necessarily the exact path of the weather system, but provides an indication or the most intense winds.
Damage in the wider area is still considered substantial, and News reporters viewed sections of roofs blown away and other damage to vehicles, outbuildings and construction sites.
County officials stated Wednesday that at least 21 homes were in the hardest-hit areas, with structures either “severely compromised” or destroyed.
“What happened Monday was absolutely terrifying for many of our friends and family,” said Cypress County chief administrative officer Tarolyn Aaserud.
“We can see now that the impact was significant, but our community is coming together and will rebuild.”
Cypress County announced Wednesday it has reached agreement with Medicine Hat Family Service to cover the cost of three counselling sessions until the end of September for county residents who were impacted.
The Canadian Red Cross is providing hotels for three families who are out of their homes.
Redcliff RCMP confirmed there are no missing person files related to Monday’s storm.
The county also said it has placed waste removal bins in the affected area and the Seven Persons transfer station will operate on extended hours (10 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day until Sunday) to aid with the cleanup.
Power
Only 41 city utility customers remained without power on Wednesday morning, down from 100 the previous day. The majority of remaining customers in the town of Redcliff saw power restored at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
That came after the utility department put out a call on social media for rural power customers west of Highway 3 to report broken or downed lines that the department was having difficulty locating.
Parks and municipal works crews were cleaning up in Crescent Heights, Riverside, the Flats and the Southwest and Southeast Hill areas, evaluating trees and removing debris.
Echo Dale Regional Park and trailways leading into it remained closed to the public on Wednesday, and could remain so for up to two weeks. Line crews were replacing snapped poles on the east side around the lake and much of the tree damage appeared to be in centre of the canopy.
Emergency Alert
City officials say they unable to determine if Monday’s storm was indeed a tornado, and similarly, that’s why they didn’t have the ability to issue a warning over the Alberta Emergency Alert System.
Residents have wondered why greater notice about the quickly developing storm did not appear on phones or interrupted local broadcast media.
“There is a lingering question about whether it was a tornado or not,” said emergency response director Merrick Brown when the question was posed at a Tuesday briefing. “We don’t have the expertise, Environment and Climate Change Canada does.”
The city’s emergency response office does have the authority to access the system and send out localized alerts pertaining to a number of situations, but not those related to weather.
On Tuesday, an alert regarding power loss and the potential loss of sewer and water service in Redcliff was broadcast, though it was quickly resolved.
