One year ago, I was underneath a bridge by the Calgary Stampede grounds, photographing the river which had been steadily rising throughout the day.  The water was moving fast and nearing the top of the banks, but it didn't look too bad. There was talk of flooding, but I paid no attention to it, even if it did flood, it probably wouldn't be catastrophic. That kind of thing doesn't happen here.

A quick check on facebook revealed a different story, as a friend and fellow band mate who lived near by had a status update about being evacuated. Weird, I thought, but knowing that she does not drive, I called her up to ask if she needed a ride.  She said yes, and within 10 minutes I was in her apartment staring at a very bewildered and panicked young woman.  She was standing still in the middle of her living room, wildly looking around her saying "What am I supposed to do?"   We gathered up some essentials for both her and her cat, tucked away her valuables and set off to some friends to house her and her cat in the very north part of the city. It was when we were driving over the Bow river near Bowness park, with the emergency broadcast system blaring on in the background, that the seriousness of the situation began to set in.  The park was already under water and with the river estimated to continue rising for another 12 hours I decided that I would have to document as much as I could.  Armed with a camera and a rubber duck, these are some of the photos I captured over the next 48 hours.

I know this isn't the greatest photo, hand held with a long shutter speed while furiously battling mosquitoes, but the power of the river behind them really shows.  Within a few minutes of them passing by, the path was under water.

Working through the night to build a berm

A crowd gathers on top of the hill to watch the river. 

5 am June 21, the City is eerily silent. 

Lake living.

5 am June 21, city workers gather to see how the berm they spent the night building holds up.

Centre Street bridge.

A family in Bowness left new teddy bears for the kids who may have lost theirs.  The writing in the window says I <3 Bowness

Today, many Southern Albertans are still dealing with the damage, and there are still families unable to return to their homes.