FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta, June 12 (UPI) -- Floodwaters in western Canada reached an unprecedented level, and imperiled gas and phone lines, washed away roads and eroded riverbanks, officials said.
Melissa Blake, mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta, Tuesday declared a local state of emergency due to days of heavy rain causing the Hangingstone River to overrun its banks and the possibility the Clearwater River will also flood, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
Some neighborhoods in the urban service area of Fort McMurray were under boil-water advisories, and people in the flood zone were waiting expectantly for the knock at the door telling them to evacuate, the CBC said.
"It's like panic attack packing, it's like grab everything, what's important and what's not, because if they start knocking on the door, we have 10 minutes to get out of here," Fort McMurray resident Katharina Durand said.
By Wednesday morning, 151 people had left their homes and about 20 had chosen to stay put, Wood Buffalo Fire Chief Darby Allen said.
"We've never seen water levels like it here for as long as they've kept records, that the Hangingstone is the highest it's ever been," he said.
Evacuees were taken to a nearby sports arena, but some found accommodation with friends or family, he said.
The forecast for the area Wednesday was more rain, possibly as much as almost half an inch, the CBC reported.
