Editor:
Re.: Cougar Creek flooding
By no means do I want to take away any of the well-deserved praise of the many frontline soldiers who gave their very best to deal with this disaster.
However, no matter how bright the sun shines there are also always darker spots as well, called sunspots.
To borrow a phrase, never let a disaster go to waste. In other words, there are lessons to be learned. Now that the ritual of mutual congratulations, shoulder tapping and photo ops by politicians for a job well done is over, let’s look at some of the sunspots.
The following is a copy of the letter I sent to the local RCMP Staff Sgt., Brad Freer, dated July 9.
Dear S/Sgt. Freer,
The first thing I noticed the morning of Thursday, June 21, was that there was no power. Then I noticed no traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway, whatsoever. Around 7:30 a.m. two members of the Town’s fire department banged on my door (the door bell did not work without power) urging me to evacuate. Checking out roaring Cougar Creek, I decided to start the process. I packed valuables and perishables, i.e. computer back-ups, boxes of documentation and the content of my fridge and freezer – due to the power outage – into my car to be moved to safer grounds. When I reached the bottom of Benchlands Trail I noticed the lane back up Benchlands Trail was barricaded. I stopped short of exiting onto Bow Valley Trail, approached one of the officers manning the road block, explained my situation and asked whether I would be able to drive home again after dropping off the first load of my belongings. Her answer was a firm “no.” At this point I decided to turn around and drive back home since there was no mandatory evacuation order.
Later I also learned of seniors who had driven downtown for grocery shopping and on their way back were forced to leave their car behind and walk home, one kilometre or more, up hill, in pouring rain. With or without groceries, I don’t know.
My questions are:
What exactly were the orders the officers at the barricade were following?
Who issued the orders?
Did the officers at the barricade have any discretion?
What was the rationale behind this?
All of the above also in view of depriving anyone of the (relative) safety of a get away vehicle from any hazards, whether it be flooding, forest fires, derailments, rock slides, avalanches, road accidents and the rest of it, while allowing residents to go back home on foot.
Thank you for a timely answer.
No answer yet, at least not a timely one. Am I the only one wanting to know?
Dieter Remppel,
Canmore
