Alberta Flood Watch 2013

[Dion]

Residents in High River say they don’t need buyout

Some say the funding could be better used elsewhere instead of relocating them to another community.

“We’re looking for flood mitigation,” Adam Vyse says. “We’re not looking to relocate. This is a substantial amount of money that they are talking about which probably, based on the numbers we’ve been given in the past, would go a long way towards some of the more expensive options that we were told, five years ago or more. It would prevent this kind of thing from happening again.”

http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/residents-...yout-1.1423766

[Dion]

High River real estate market still in ‘shock stage’

Ken Braat, now with Royal LePage Benchmark, said he loves High River, but as a resident and realtor, he knows it’s going to be a long slow process for the market to return to what it was.

“The values of homes in this town don’t need to crash; we just have to hold on and ride it out,” he said. “It’s the hardest advice to give, but if we all hold onto the values that we knew were there before June 20, it will come back.”

He said people coming to the door and offering $100,000 cash for flood-affected homes are not looking out for residents, the community, but only themselves.

When asking for $100,000 to $150,000 less than what the market value was pre-flood, residents may not know that there is a newcomer down the block with a five year mortgage at June 19 pricing.

“Is the value going to be there when it’s time for them to renew their mortgage,” he asked. “Then there’s going to be a second wave of pain and devastation when people can’t get mortgages.”

“Fear is such a vicious emotion,” he said. “In that fear, comes a necessity to do something about it. Sometimes the hardest thing to do in fear is to wait. That’s what we all have to do.”

Jim Ross, with RE/MAX Southern Realty in High River, said demand has dropped off significantly since the flood, but that he doesn’t believe it’s indicative of the future.

“We’re going through a significant shock stage right now,” he said. “A few more weeks, not exactly sure how long it will take, but the market will start to return to more what we might think is normal.”

The most pressing concern for the real estate market in town, according to Ross, is whether or not the town will get meaningful and preventative flood protection.

“High River could emerge from this properly protected against flooding and the market will bounce back,” he said.

Without it, he said that High River could be in for an extended period of suppressed property values. Some advice for residents would be to wait until things calm down.

“It would be better if you don’t need to sell right now, to monitor the market and be patient for a while,” he said

http://www.highrivertimes.com/2013/0...#disqus_thread

[chemgear]

And away we go . . .

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...alberta-w.html

Homeowners in Alberta can expect to pay at least 30 per cent more for insurance, industry insiders warn.

Rizk said he heard rates could spike as high as 60 per cent for some customers, depending on factors such as their claims history, how long they have owned their property and where it’s located.

“So theoretically if you’re paying a thousand bucks in insurance last year on your home you could see a $1,600 premium — a $600 increase. “

[macrov]

Originally Posted by Bownesian

Erlton, Roxborough, Rideau Park and some in Britannia, all along the Elbow. None in Bowness that I can see. Might be a couple along 52nd Street in Montgomery above the Hextall Bridge where the hill was severely eroded and looks unstable.

As I was saying, these are going to be bought out at Fair Market Values. Which is going to be 2-4 million / house in Rideau, Landsdowne and Roxborough. Very stupid policy IMO. I wonder if the homes were cherry picked to be "influential citizens along the elbow"

Landsdowne ave is the most expensive street in the city, and I'm pretty sure all the homes along the river there could end up getting offers. The crazy thing is that these homes probably suffered massive damage - 500k +. And these people will get fully bailed out. Meanwhile, if you suffered 85K of damage in Bowness, you'll be lucky to get 30 back

[worth]

We're all receiving a commendation from the Governor General:

A special public ceremony where His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will present a commendation for outstanding service to the citizens of Calgary for their response to the 2013 floods. Mayor Naheed Nenshi will accept the award on behalf of all Calgarians. Alberta country star Corb Lund will also perform at the event.

http://www.calgarycitynews.com/2013/...a-to-give.html

http://calgaryheroes.eventbrite.ca/

[HockeyIlliterate]

Originally Posted by worth

We're all receiving a commendation from the Governor General . . .

I suppose that I should add the commendation to my resume under the "awards and honors" section...

[TurnedTheCorner]

I did nothing other than stay home from work for a day. Sweet.

[Bigtime]

Shaw's channel has a documentary or something about the flood on tonight at 6pm called "Aftermath" if anyone is interested.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Originally Posted by worth

We're all receiving a commendation from the Governor General:



http://www.calgarycitynews.com/2013/...a-to-give.html

http://calgaryheroes.eventbrite.ca/

Great Scott! Now my newspaper in the future will read Commended instead of Committed!

[Flamesoholic]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

Shaw's channel has a documentary or something about the flood on tonight at 6pm called "Aftermath" if anyone is interested.

Do you know what channel it's on? The only thing I can find called Aftermath that's on at 6pm is on Sportsnet 360 and it says it's about wrestling. That can't be it can it?

[Bigtime]

The tweets I saw said it was on Shaw Channel 10 at 6pm. Sorry, the name is "The Aftermath".

[Dion]

A good friend of mine is in the process of rebuilding his movie theatre (Wales Theatre) that was flooded in June. Someone from the High River Times did an interview with him describing the on going rebuild and the hardships associated with it.

After fleeing High River’s flood with his wife and family, Kidwai returned to a grim sight at the Wales Theatre some 14 days later.

“It broke my heart because this place is very dear to me,” he said, noting there was three feet of water in the front and up to nine feet in the back near the screen.

“Just to go and open the door to see, I must have fallen three times because there was three feet of mud, especially in the auditorium.”

The basement—the former home of the vaudevillian dressing rooms—was submerged. Kidwai lost antique projectors, posters among other items in the deluge.

“This old lady has seen quite a few floods,” he said, speaking fondly of the building. “I knew it could take a licking, but inside, the severity of the damage was not obvious.”

http://www.highrivertimes.com/2013/0...-well-underway

[sun]

Went to high school with his son ^. Saw a bunch of movies there. Glad he's rebuilding.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by sun

Went to high school with his son ^. Saw a bunch of movies there. Glad he's rebuilding.

It's going to look good when it's done. The main level is getting 155 brand new high back seats which will be more comfortable than the seats he had. Plus there will be more leg room between rows. He also installed a digital projector and screen a year and half ago to bring it up to modern day standards.

He's having some problems as inspectors want the rebuild of the old 1927 building done to todays building codes. The Heritage society is helping him out with some of the costs and finding antique tile that was destroyed by the flood.

[chemgear]

Well, that is $95 million that the tax payers won't (have to?) cover.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...307/story.html


The 305 cabins at a popular resort community east of Calgary face condemnation — and no flood relief — in the wake of the great June floods, leaving vacation property owners out tens of millions of dollars.
Gary Nason, president of the Hidden Valley Golf Resort board of directors, said cottage owners are fuming because they aren’t entitled to the same disaster aid as many other southern Albertans.

However, that funding is available only to people whose primary dwelling was damaged by the historic June deluge.

“It was an extension of my home,” he said. “My children were raised out there. It was not a luxury, it was part of our life.

[Francis's Hairpiece]

^^^ the lease is up on that land anyway, isn't it? The cabin owners are out this year anyway, if I remember correctly.

[Bigtime]

It's a hard call but I think a fair one, primary residences only.

I feel bad but I am laughing at the guy trying the spin with the "It was an extension of my home".

[Regular_John]

Originally Posted by Bigtime

It's a hard call but I think a fair one, primary residences only.

I feel bad but I am laughing at the guy trying the spin with the "It was an extension of my home".

Yeah it's definitely the right call to make, not to downplay the guy's loss, but there's a big difference between having no roof over your head and losing one of your alternate roofs.

As a tax payer I have no problem with funding recovery of primary residence, but no matter how you spin it a vacation property is a luxury. And that I'm not ok with funding.

[Bigtime]

Even if some of those folks lived there 6 months of the year (as the story indicated) it still heavily implies they have another "roof" somewhere.

Then on my commute this morning I hear about a family of 5 in Exshaw still living in a camper on the front yard, while the county still struggles to get power and water hooked up to some trailers for them.

I feel for that family, not for the guy trying to play the "extension of my home" card.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by chemgear

Well, that is $95 million that the tax payers won't (have to?) cover.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ca...307/story.html


The 305 cabins at a popular resort community east of Calgary face condemnation — and no flood relief — in the wake of the great June floods, leaving vacation property owners out tens of millions of dollars.
Gary Nason, president of the Hidden Valley Golf Resort board of directors, said cottage owners are fuming because they aren’t entitled to the same disaster aid as many other southern Albertans.

However, that funding is available only to people whose primary dwelling was damaged by the historic June deluge.

“It was an extension of my home,” he said. “My children were raised out there. It was not a luxury, it was part of our life.