Yellowhead County issued a shelter-in-place alert Tuesday for the hamlet of Peers due to the heavy rain, rising water and a compromised bridge.
All residents in the south part of the hamlet were told to shelter in place, the county said.
Emergency responders will assist in getting people out of the area, the county added.
Yellowhead County said residents should stay home if it is safe, avoid driving on flooded roadways, be cautious of slippery road conditions, and prepare any items and pets they may need to bring with them if they have to leave.
Resident George Carnegie said the rain started about five days ago “and it never stopped.”
“I’ve never seen it this flooded and I’ve been here 19 years. This is the first time I’ve seen it this high.”
He said the county shut down the bridge in Peers on Monday.
“It’s washed out here. They’re going to have to replace the bridge, the way it looks to me.”
Before the rain hit, Carnegie was forced to leave his home three different times due to wildfire evacuations.
“We needed the rain but we didn’t need it this heavy. It was Mother Nature getting back at us as humans (for) what we’re doing to her planet, that’s the way I look at it.
“It’s her telling us humans that we are doing things wrong and (to) listen to her. I worked in forestry about 19 to 20 years ago and to me, it’s Mother Nature’s way of teaching us. She’s the one who’s in control, not us.
“I’m worried about years that are going to come ahead,” he said.
Amanda Lever, a resident of Peers, said she has lived there for 10 years, and it has never been this bad before.
“People don’t have acreages; they have lakes,” said Lever.
Wong Chan Chai Tiyamani said it’s been three days and three nights straight of “non-stop rain.”
His house was affected by the rainfall emergency alert. They were affected twice by wildfire emergency alerts and evacuation orders.
“Last month, we went to stay in Jasper for three days and three nights and this month we were evacuated from wildfire for five days and five nights.”
On Monday, residents in lower Robb, Yellowhead County, were told to leave due to the heavy rain and flooding.
For more information call 1-833-334-4630.
West-central Alberta has seen an unprecedented amount of rainfall in the last three days, leading to rainfall warnings, high streamflow advisories, flood watches and local states of emergency.
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