First fire, then flooding displaces Slave Lake residents

First it was helping evacuees cope with wildfires in fire-ravaged Slave Lake.

And now the Canadian Red Cross is helping 65 people who have been displaced in the fire-ravaged town because of flooding caused by a deluge of rain since Friday morning, said Leila Daoud, a spokeswoman for the non-profit.

Some of those displaced have been families who were living in basements temporarily after wildfires wiped their homes and property right off the community's map.

"You feel like you're in a war zone and you just have to fight to the end, and Slave Lake is worth fighting for," said the town's mayor, Karina Pillay-Kinnee.

Daoud said the Canadian Red Cross is helping through its personal-assistance disaster program.

That includes finding temporary shelter for those displaced families, along with providing them with clothing and cleanup kits to deal with the flooding.

Colin Fong, a meteorologist with Environment Canada, said the town has been hit with 97 mm of rain since early Friday.

Flood warnings have also been issued by Alberta Environment along rivers and streams in northwestern Alberta, including the Freeman River near Swan Hills.

Cara Tobin, a spokeswoman with Alberta Environment, said levels at the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton won't be an issue.

That comes after heavy rainfall warnings were issued in areas near Hinton and Grande Cache in the south to areas near High Prairie and Peace River in the north.

Rain also forced Mounties near High Prairie to shut down a stretch of Highway 2 near Kinuso and near Highway 33 because of flooding on Saturday.

Police said excessive water spilled over the highway, making it unsafe for travel.

Meanwhile, Pillay-Kinnee said the creek and large pools of water in Slave Lake have receded since Saturday morning.

Crews worked overnight to pump out an excess of water in the town's storm water drains and roughly 70 volunteers were busy Friday making thousands of sandbags just in case, she said.

The downpour has not hindered the town's rebuilding efforts, as bulldozers continue to excavate foundations in fire-ravaged lots.

Environment Canada said northern and central Alberta can expect a reprieve from the wet and cool weather on Monday.

Temperatures are expected to climb to 20 C that day.