Flat-Out Friday: The Great Deluge

I can't sleep. It's 3 am and I'm making hot chocolate in an effort to try and normalize myself. I can't sleep because I'm having a mini-crisis. I'm having a mini-crisis because of this: Calgary has declared a state of emergency in response to the flooding of the Bow River. Dams are overflowing. Authorities are evacuating over 25 neighbourhoods. People are banding together over social media to offer support to those effected by all this. Environment Canada's Weather Office is now saying it will continue to rain in Southern Alberta until Tuesday. And I'm glued to my Twitter feed. They have evacuated the Calgary Zoo. The Zoo! Do you have any idea how hard the transport of that many animals would be? And where would they take them?

This is one of those things that sets off my anxieties. It is a situation completely beyond my control that is effecting people I care about, and, I'll admit it, me. Even here in Edmonton, it's effecting me. Thursday night was Date Night again. Matt and I went out for supper, and it was supposed to be a fun, relaxing evening to celebrate his long weekend. He got the call just before our meal came; we took it to go. I drove him to the base, and right now he's somewhere south of here, coordinating military efforts to support the Calgary Emergency crews and meet with city engineers to lend help. It's not looking like he'll be here tomorrow night either. And I'm not holding my breath for Saturday night's all ranks dinner/dance.



I knew I was getting a superhero when I fell in love with him, but unlike Lois Lane, I can't just get myself into the middle of the drama and wait for him to save me. I have to stay here and let him go be the amazing man he is. It's just so damn hard. So I'm sitting at the computer, hot chocolate now gone, still refreshing my Twitter feed in hopes that I hear some promising news. So far, it looks like water levels are still on the rise. A sea can just rammed a bridge in Roxboro. There is some scary video footage of the water rushing through the middle of the city.

If, like me, you feel helpless but want to do whatever you can to help, visit calgarycitynews.com for updated shelter information and how you can get a hold of the Canadian Red Cross to provide whatever relief you can. The sun may be rising here in the west, but for some of us, the long night isn't over and the longest day is just beginning.