Edmonton releases flood risk maps and data as part of ongoing mitigation measures
The fifth largest city in Canada has become the very first to provide its residents with a comprehensive set of flood-related data and emergency projections.
A Freedom of Information request made by Postmedia for Edmonton to release the information it had been gathering since the municipality’s damaging 2012 floods finally came to fruition yesterday. The national media company’s appeal led to the dispensation of comprehensive maps that predict how over 100 neighbourhoods would be affected in the most severe floods, accompanied by detailed accounts of the city’s flooding history.
According to the Edmonton Journal, yesterday also marked the first time that Edmonton’s city council was given an opportunity to access the maps. They highlighted particularly worrying areas that were punctuated by parts of the Lauderdale, Ottewell, and Westbrook neighbourhoods. Many of these pressure points are situated where prairie sloughs used to be.
This information has significant implications for Edmonton home-buyers, homeowners, and insurers. One resident mentioned in the Journal article was quoted as saying, “Insurance companies know this already, but ordinary people don’t.”
Edmonton adressed other aspects of its mitigation efforts in an official news release. Urban Services manager Chris Ward notes that Edmonton has experienced a population boom and a number of recent rainstorms that have exceeded historical expectations. The city plans to implement strategic infrastructure upgrades in specific neighbourhoods in order to better facilitate Edmonton’s drainage system.
The Journal also revealed that the Insurance Bureau of Canada has mapped out flood damage possibilities on a national scale “that it intends to release but is worried about potential controversy.”
As so many people can attest to, floods are unpredictable, detrimental, and costly. For information on flood-proofing your home, consult this four-step guide.
According to the Edmonton Journal, yesterday also marked the first time that Edmonton’s city council was given an opportunity to access the maps. They highlighted particularly worrying areas that were punctuated by parts of the Lauderdale, Ottewell, and Westbrook neighbourhoods. Many of these pressure points are situated where prairie sloughs used to be.
This information has significant implications for Edmonton home-buyers, homeowners, and insurers. One resident mentioned in the Journal article was quoted as saying, “Insurance companies know this already, but ordinary people don’t.”
Edmonton adressed other aspects of its mitigation efforts in an official news release. Urban Services manager Chris Ward notes that Edmonton has experienced a population boom and a number of recent rainstorms that have exceeded historical expectations. The city plans to implement strategic infrastructure upgrades in specific neighbourhoods in order to better facilitate Edmonton’s drainage system.
The Journal also revealed that the Insurance Bureau of Canada has mapped out flood damage possibilities on a national scale “that it intends to release but is worried about potential controversy.”
As so many people can attest to, floods are unpredictable, detrimental, and costly. For information on flood-proofing your home, consult this four-step guide.