EDMONTON -- Flooding in Lac La Biche County led to a rescue late Sunday night.
Garnett Lett had ventured out to capture a video of Highway 36 covered by water when he heard a cry for help from the ditch.
“Ended up finding a person standing on the roof of his car. And the car was completely submerged in the water,” Lett told CTV News Edmonton.
Lett said the man had gone off the road. He had called 911 and was waiting for firefighters to rescue him by boat.
“He was about 40 and 50 feet away from the road in pitch black. He had no reflective gear on. His phone was under water. And according to him he had to escape through his trunk to get out of the car. And I’m just happy that we found him.”
The man was rescued, but the vehicle is still under water.
The flooding caused the county to declare a state of emergency. The area received more than half the rain it usually gets in a month in just one day.
“We’re very aware of the water and this is the most I can recall ever seeing,” said Mayor Omer Moghrabi.
A mandatory evacuation order was also issued for a portion of Lac La Biche, forcing about 70 people out of their homes. Officials were concerned that the train tracks holding back water would wash out, causing up to four feet of water to rush into the area.
Evacuees were housed in a hotel.
The evacuation order was mostly lifted on Monday evening.
Pumps were brought in, and Moghrabi said it’s making a difference.
“The lift stations have been keeping up so now we’re not so worried about sewer backup into people’s places. But I think a lot of places, their basements are flooding. Just from the infiltration,” he said.
The province has blocked off all provincial highways in the county to prevent non-essential travel.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Sarah Plowman
