The floods that have washed through southern Alberta have only had a small impact on the lives of three Prince George biathletes living and training in Canmore.
Matt Neumann, Sarah Beaudry and Arthur Roots all checked in with their families at home when news of the floods started leaking out late last week to report that they were safe.
"We're basically stranded here," said Neumann. "It's definitely the biggest natural disaster I've been a part of."
Canmore residents were unable to head east to Calgary or west to Banff as the highways were closed in both directions last week, while many residents were dealing with power failures and Canmore's hospital was surrounded by water as were several restaurants and businesses.
Calgary is less than an hour's drive easy from Canmore. By Saturday, RCMP were allowing some people to leave the community via the Trans Canada Highway, but limiting the speed limit to 60 kilometres and passing wasn't permitted.
The flood damage in Canmore was caused by the Bow River and Cougar Creek. On Saturday, the Bow River waters began to recede and debris could be seen along the banks. Damage along Cougar Creek may be worse.
Long lineups greeted consumers at the supermarket Saturday, as did a shortage of bottled water.
Both Neumann and Beaudry were grateful to only be witnesses to the flooding.
Neumann lives about 100 metres above the town's centre so the flooding didn't affect him directly other than keeping him within Canmore's city limits.
"It's like the 2008 stock market crash," said Neumann. "I just sit and watch."
Beaudry lives in downtown Canmore and had a few minor problems to deal with one being the loss of her cell phone after it got wet.
"I am all safe and now that that the sun is out things are looking better," said Beaudry. "The crawl space of my house got a bit wet but I was really fortunate compared to others in town who lost there houses or had to get evacuated.
"Everybody here in Canmore have been super supportive," she added. "It's a positive community which is really great to see and will be good during the next couple of weeks during the recovery and clean up period. I am so thankful that I have been safe and barely impacted by the flooding."
Neumann is training for the Canadian Olympic Trials which will be held in December in Canmore. Beaudry is too young to qualify for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
With files from Canadian Press
