I’ve been glued to the television and Twitter for the last 18 hours because my beloved city (and a large portion of Alberta) is in the middle of a major natural disaster. The flooding we’re experiencing is unprecedented, and close to 75,000 people have been displaced in Calgary alone.

You know the situation is dire when the fire department is using motorboats on city streets to rescue evacuees:

Roxboro in Calgary, Alberta – June 21, 2013

Although I’m lucky enough to live on a hill in Calgary, I can tell you that it is nothing short of terrifying to hear a police helicopter telling the neighbourhoods below you that they have to immediately evacuate the area. So far there’s no way to know how much damage will eventually be caused, but I’m sure claims will reach 9 digits at the very least.

Here’s a video of what downtown and the Calgary Stampede Grounds look like today. Reports indicate the Saddledome is flooded up to the 8th row of seats inside:

Outside of Calgary, the situation is even worse. Here’s footage from yesterday of a house smashing into a bridge in Bragg Creek, Alberta:

And here’s an image that explains why the TransCanada Highway is closed on the way into Canmore:

TransCanada Highway through Canmore, Alberta – June 21, 2013

To make matters worse, the rain continues to come down in buckets even as I write this post.

To learn more about the flooding in Alberta, search #abflood for real-time updates on Twitter.

If you would like to donate to Red Cross relief efforts, click here. To learn about more ways you can help victims affected by this disaster, visit this site.

Stay home and stay dry, Alberta. And above all else, get off the roads if you’re in one of the affected areas.