Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to put things in perspective.
Here in Cochrane, the community was lucky. We got a little damp, the waters rose and there were some eroding yards, but the town didn’t get hit with the flooding impact that struck our neighbours in Bragg Creek, Redwood Meadows, Benchlands, Morley and Calgary.
But that’s not to say Cochranites were unaffected; this town has a lot of heart and a lot of fight. And as a reporter, I had a front-row seat to it all. There was so much occurring in the town that didn’t make it into a newspaper — that slithered beneath the radar.
Like the hardworking Cochrane Search and Rescue Association. Their volunteers worked tirelessly for hours, monitoring the conditions of the fast-moving water and the riverbanks in the area.
Coming to the rescue in Benchlands were crews of volunteers, many whom were recruited by mayoral candidate David Smith. Smith spent days assisting residents of the lower Bench, even opening his home to the displaced.
And what about Cochrane’s community members? Families are pulling together, baking muffins and stirring up lemonade, all to raise money to support the Canadian Red Cross’ flood relief efforts in the area. These families weren’t looking to be recognized — they were just doing their part.
Our local photographers were doing their part as well. Jayden Images has offered their services — in the form of a limited number of free mini sessions — to replace the family photos of families whose photos couldn’t be salvaged.
Chris and Nenita Lindsey, the photographers, have also extended special photo sessions for emergency personnel as a way of thanking the responders for their hard work and dedication.
But what struck me the most during my adventures in flood coverage was the overwhelming feeling of positivity exuding from the residents of the effected communities. Sure there was devastation, homes were lost, properties are gone and pets and people were displaced. But there was also people coming together, selflessness and laughter.
A good friend of mine, Shannon, was one of 31 men and women from Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development’s (ESRD) Forestry and Emergency Response division sent to Benchlands. Typically, Shannon and the rest of her crew — who are based in Rocky Mountain House — spend their long shifts in remote areas controlling forest fires, not offering their strong backs and expertise for flood cleanup efforts.
She told me she arrived in Benchlands with no idea of what she was walking into. She was expecting, and rightly so, the worst — homes destroyed, memories and keepsakes just washed away. And that’s what she got. But she saw in the residents and volunteers the same thing that I saw: the camaraderie and love within the community. Resident’s joking (tastefully, of course) back and forth about the disaster, trying to salvage what they can from their properties and demonstrating a true appreciation for everything that remained.
This sense of community stretched across the board; I felt it when chatting with Bragg Creek residents and I noticed it when photographing a water fight outside of the community school in Morley. I even noticed it in a small nook outside of Calgary’s downtown core.
Last week, a representative of the Red Cross told me the recovery for this flooding is expected to take years. Let’s keep up the good work, team.
