Home | WebMail | Register or Login

      Calgary | Regions | Local Traffic Report | Advertise on Action News | Contact

Calgary

Great Plains residents must be out by Friday

The Great Plains flood camp will shut down on Friday but the government is still trying to find housing for all of the residents.

Province still trying to find housing for the residents

Great Plains move out

11 years ago
Duration 1:55
Great Plains will shut down Friday even though some flood victims don't have anywhere to go.

The Great Plains flood camp will shut down on Friday but the government is still trying to find housing for all of the residents.

The site in Calgary's southeast was built for 700 flood evacuees, but only about 70moved in. The province says it isn't practical to keep the site open with so few residents.

The pop-up community of Great Plains was able to accommodate up to 700 flood victims in trailers at 58th Street and 68th Avenue S.E. (CBC)

"We actually didn't anticipate people would move on as quickly as they have," said Tom Neufield, spokesperson for the province.

"At the time, in late July, we just believed based on the information we had that we would need this camp."

Many of those living at the camp lost everything in the June flood.

Now, they say they aren't happy about having to start over again.

"Two weeks notice and they just gave us a piece of paper saying we would have to be out by the end of January," said Cijay King, a resident at Great Plains.

"You just have to leave on Friday and go wherever."

Earlier this month, the province gave itself a 30 to 60 day time frame to close Great Plains and High River's Saddlebrook camp.

The province says it is working with the Calgary Housing Company to find places for all the residents to stay once the camp closes.

The neighbourhood was built to take in Albertans who were left without homes after floodwaters hit several communities in the area last June. (CBC)