Water levels from heavy flooding in western Canada were expected to peak around noon on Friday, possibly forcing as many as 100,000 residents from their homes, officials said. Heavy rain and widespread flooding throughout southern Alberta province on Thursday forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway and isolated mountain resort towns. The flooding washed away roads and bridges and left at least one person missing. The most severe damage was south of Calgary, a city of more than 1 million people that hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics. In the city, many downtown neighborhoods were ordered evacuated Thursday evening and night. Officials said evacuations would happen in stages over the next few days. Alberta reported that 12 communities were under states of emergency. Bruce Burrell, the director of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, said water levels on the Bow River are not expected to subside until Saturday afternoon. The Bow River Basin already has been hit with up to 10 centimeters of rain. "Depending on the extent of flooding we experience overnight, there may be areas of the city where people are not going to be able to get into until the weekend," Burrell told a news conference.
