Alberta evacuates remaining campers after Kananaskis floods

Emergency crews in Alberta are working to evacuate a small number of campers and assess widespread damage in Kananaskis Country following days of heavy rainfall that triggered landslides, flooding, and road closures. A local state of emergency remains in effect for the provincial park area west of Calgary, though conditions are slowly improving.

The intense rainfall, which exceeded 100 millimetres in the Kananaskis region from Friday night through Monday, caused significant infrastructure damage. More than 100 kilometres of roads in provincial parks were closed due to washouts and mudslides, stranding visitors. Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen said that while the majority of an estimated 1,500 stranded visitors were able to leave on Tuesday as Highway 40 reopened, a group of about 50 people remained near the Smith Dorrien Trail as of late Tuesday morning due to ongoing road issues.

A critical point was the Evan-Thomas Bridge, which suffered a partial collapse. Repair work allowed one lane to reopen by Tuesday afternoon, facilitating movement. Crews are now clearing remaining debris and evaluating other bridges for safety before allowing travel. Loewen stated that fully...