Flooded Calgary Could Be Sans Power for Months

Calgary, the heart of Canada's energy sector, could be without power for weeks or even months in the wake of floods that have forced 100,000 people from their homes and killed at least four. In the aftermath of the floods, the worst in the province of Alberta's history, "we are facing an absolutely gargantuan task," to restore power and infrastructure, a city official says. The heavy rain was blamed for a 750-barrel spill from an oil pipeline in the north of the province, Reuters reports.

The worst of the flooding has yet to reach the southeastern corner of the province, where 10,000 people have been evacuated from the city of Medicine Hat, the Globe and Mail reports. Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi says that despite the devastation, the city's iconic, 101-year-old Stampede rodeo festival will go ahead in less than two weeks. "Stampede 101 may look very, very different than the 100th Stampede, but it will happen 12 days from today," he says. (More Calgary stories.)