High River residents question pace of flood cleanup

High River residents, some still unable to access their homes and neighbourhoods, are questioning why cleanup isnt going faster.

• INTERACTIVE:Potential health hazards of floods
• Alberta flood-area building rules may change, says Redford
• Urban flooding likely to worsen, say experts
• CBC reporters share their flood stories

The provincial state of emergency ends today, weeks after the southern Alberta town was hit by floods June 20.

A municipal state of emergency will continue, but many say that isnt enough.

Former town councillor Floyd Langenhoff said managing flood prevention could be too much for the municipality to handle itself.

"Administration in a little town like this, they have their hands full just in the day-to-day operations of the town," he said. "Any of this other stuff has to be done basically on the side. What we need here, I believe, is a group of people or council that can give direction to get this stuff done."

Not the 1st time

Standing on a community golf green, Langenhoff said the golf course held back water andflooded nearby homes.

A problem made worse, he said, because the same thing happened in 2005.

"It blocks a lot of the water and backs it up, further up into the northwest than it should be," said Langenhoff.

"It's still here, because nobody's done anything about it."

But the blame doesnt just rest with the municipality, he said. Bureaucracy at the provincial level has prevented the necessary steps to prevent flooding in the area, said Langenhoff.

Province's role

Langenhoff saidthe province isn't doing enough to pump out the flood water.

"Has anybody looked at the fact that we could maybe run the water back west and back into the river? That way doubling our amount of water," said Langenhoff.

Town Coun. Jamie Kinghorn, however, said everything that can be done is being done.

He said 100,000 gallons of water is being pumped out of thecommunityper minute.

"[The province] have done everything they possibly can," said Kinghorn.

Langenhoff still thinks officials arent listening. He said residents want to help with cleanup and prevention but arent being allowed.