8 is gale, not hurricane. When you see a huge swath of the US wiped out, it is due to a hurricane.
It’s crazy here. We’re well up on the hill so we are fine - but the water is crazy. Memorial Drive is flooded. The Stampede Grounds are flooded. MacLeod Trail is flooded.
I was just looking at the list of bridge closures - just about all the smaller ones going over the river. I think there are a handful of major routes still open.
Regarding flood insurance, some of the commonly flooded areas might have very expensive insurance, but those are also very expensive houses with very rich people living in them, so I think they would. The less commonly flooded areas (which is about 90% of the areas) would probably have flood insurance, since insurance is required with your mortgage (assuming flood insurance is included with regular house insurance).
EmAnJ, do you have any idea if they need volunteers somewhere?
Bragg Creek - House smashes into bridge. Wow; I hope everyone in Alberta is keeping safe. The thoughts of all Canadians are with you - there’s going to be lots that needs rebuilding.
Is flood insurance a standard coverage in insurance policies? I don’t know. When I took out my policy, what 18 years ago, I distinctly remember agreeing to an increased premium for water damage. Maybe that was because I’m on a well and septic tank or something though.
I’ve never had to make a claim, but why is it I have this feeling about what’s considered an “act of God” not being standard coverage?
Maybe I’ve watched too many TV shows.
If it isn’t, a lot of people won’t have it - perched on a hill kilometers away from any water, I would be stunned if my house flooded from high water like this, and have not really considered any extra flooding “Act of God” premiums, and a lot of people would be like us.
I saw that the city buses are being used for evacuations, and they’re telling people to expect disruptions in service today. I also just saw Mayor Nenshi telling people to just stay home if you can.
From what I’m hearing, the Calgary and Alberta emergency systems have been functioning excellently - that’s some good news, at least.
If you go to twitter and look up #yycflood, you can see some insane pictures of what’s going on here.
I’m at work in our site office trailer on the University of Calgary campus, right across the street from the Alberta Childern’s Hospital. We’re perched way up on the top of a hill so no issues.
Pretty much our entire company is shut down today due to flood issues, people not being able to get to work at all, etc. but I was able to make it here without any trouble, going from one high location to another. The place is like a ghost town; the U of C has closed for the day, so not much work getting done here either. I have some paperwork to catch up on and likely no one will be calling me today so I might actually get a bit ahead finally. I don’t see myself sticking around all day, however.
P.S. The rain just started again and is slowly increasing in intensity. D’oh.
Well holy crap. This is right from my insurer’s web site:
I think some people are going to be awfully pissed.
ETA: And more:
Don’t quote me on this, but my recollection is that for residential properties flood insurance is usually excluded, although sewer backup (as opposed to flood) insurance can be added as a rider, whereas commercial insurance usually includes flood insurance with big deductibles (and sewer backup can be added as a rider).
Since the residential exclusion for flood insurance is a money thing rather than a statute thing, I would expect that very well heeled folks could get coverage but might have to go very far afield to find it, but that just a guess on my part.
We’re all going to be pissed - this is going to hike insurance rates for every Albertan.
More still:
I dunno. Looks like insurance companies are off the hook.
Then they’ll use it as an excuse to hike rates. 
I don’t see the insurance companies getting off completely, though. I guess we’ll see. I’m thinking of what happens after any bad hailstorm - everyone claims for cars, siding, and roofs, and everyone’s rates go up.
Well, on the plus side you don’t pay any provincial sales tax on your insurance premiums.
Swiss Re and Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction: Making Flood Insurable for Canadian Homeowners (PDF)
Makes me glad that I live on stilts.
Wow, what’s shown on the pictures and videos just keeps getting worse.
It comes down to the difference between wind (wind, hail, fallen trees, flying cats etc.)damage (homeowners covered) verses flood (overland water) damage (homeowners not covered).
Holy cow! I have the noon news on, and they have just announced that the Calgary Saddledome is flooded up to the 13th row of seats!
Guess that would extinguish the Flames. 
Yeah, it is still getting worse with differing reports of the crest sometime this afternoon to tomorrow. They’re also warning of flash floods as well.
The water is up to row 10 in the Saddledome, out hockey arena.
Deerfoot Trail, our main highway, is closed down.
Before and after of one of the bridges downtown - most of downtown is like this.
That should be an island (not trees) in the middle of the water there - Princes Island Park.
They’re doing controlled evacuations of downtown right now, and they just said on the news that there are unconfirmed deaths/missing people in a community south of Calgary (High River).