Houston Texas: Hurricane Harvey on track to become a “landmark” national disaster for the United States

Captain Rick: Harvey made landfall on Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and stalled out as a tropical storm over the coastal areas of Texas, just southwest of Houston.
It unleashed dangerously high winds and dumped catastrophic amounts of rain with a total of up to 50″ projected before it moves out of Texas on Wednesday.
Tropical Storm Harvey sent massive floods through the Houston area Sunday, chasing thousands to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelming rescuers. FEMA estimates 30,000 will seek safe haven in shelters.
Federal disaster declarations indicate the storm has so far affected about 6.8 million people.
About 50 Texas counties and parts of Louisiana will face serious repercussions from the “landmark event.”

A look at Harvey by the numbers so far:

Track _____
Harvey, now spinning near Port O’Connor, Texas, was forecast to move back into the Gulf of Mexico on Monday, the National Hurricane Center said.
As it spins offshore, the storm is expected to dump an additional 15 to 25 inches of rain through Friday over the upper Texas coast and into southwestern Louisiana, exacerbating the life-threatening, catastrophic flooding in the Houston area.
It will meander over the Gulf for a couple of day, accumulating more moisture, before making a second landfall somewhere near the Texas/Louisiana border, likely on Wednesday, dumping record amounts of rain on the region during the almost week long catastrophic visit.

Rainfall _____
This month has officially been deemed the wettest on record for Houston, Texas. On Sunday, Houston established a new daily rainfall record with just over 16 inches. That’s twice the rainfall that Phoenix Arizona receives in a year.
Between Friday and Sunday, some areas along the Texas gulf coast received as much as 30 inches of rain. But the dangers are not over just yet. Weather services warn that before the storm clears out, some areas could cumulatively receive as many as 50 inches of rain. Continuing rainfall will worsen already grave flooding conditions.

Fatalities _____
At least 5 people have died as a result of Harvey. Rescue efforts are still ongoing and that number could increase over the coming days.

Rescue efforts _____
Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said officers had rescued more than 2,000 people trapped by the overwhelming waters; another 185 rescue requests were still pending. The city also has grappled with 75,000 911 calls, and the system has backed up but never went down.
Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday activated the entire state National Guard, raising to 12,000 the number of guardsmen deployed to assist the search and rescue effort.
The Coast Guard, which said it already had conducted 300 air and 1,200 boat rescues, had 20 helicopters and more than 20 boat teams in the Houston area.
Rising water levels have made rescue efforts challenging. As many as 346 roads are closed due to high water.
More than 5,500 weary refugees of Tropical Storm Harvey’s fury sought refuge in the city’s George R. Brown Convention Center. More than a dozen smaller shelters have been opened across Harris County.
Local, state and federal officials warned that the human crisis in southeast Texas was just beginning. Harvey will drive 30,000 to shelters in Texas, FEMA says.

Rescue effort costs _____
While wind damage insurance claims alone could reach as high as $6 billion, flooding costs could be even larger.
FEMA already owes the U.S. Treasury more than $24 billion, which was provided for previous disaster relief efforts.

Disaster assistance _____
On Monday morning, FEMA Administrator Brock Long said more than 450,000 Texans will need disaster assistance relief in the wake of the storm.
President Donald Trump has approved a federal emergency disaster declaration, directing government aid toward the relief and recovery efforts. Under this declaration, the U.S. government will cover about 75% of some of the relief costs.
At least 15 states are sending first response teams to Texas.

Small business fate _____
The longer the recovery effort takes, the less likely it is the area’s small businesses will survive the economic damage. About 40% of small businesses won’t survive this type of natural disaster.

Gas prices _____
Because many of the United States’ oil refineries are located in Texas, outages have already caused gas prices to hit a 2-year high. Texas boasts a refining capacity of more than 5.6 million barrels per day, according to the EIA.
About 16% of that capacity has been taken out due to the storm. Some experts predict gas prices could rise by as much as 25 cents.

BREAKING UPDATES _____
For breaking updates on Harvey, view the comments for this post. Your comments are welcome.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin & U.S. SoS Rex Tillerson meet about airstrike of Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held more than two hours of frank conversation Wednesday in the Kremlin amid tensions over a U.S. airstrike against a Syria air base blamed for last week’s deadly chemical attack. The unscheduled talks between Putin and the secretary came as Moscow warned against the U.S. repeating its missile strike on a Syrian air base.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at left … Russian President Vladimir Putin right

In an interview broadcast Wednesday before the meeting with Tillerson, Putin said relations with the U.S. have worsened in the first few months of Trump’s presidency.

“It can be said that the level of trust at the working level, especially at the military level, has not become better but most likely has degraded,” he told state broadcaster Mir TV.

Putin also charged that the U.S. broke international law by striking the air base without providing evidence that the Syrian government used chemical weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met

The meeting lasted for almost two hours to see if they could rescue relations between the world’s mightiest military powers. Russia’s alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election also hovered over the first face-to-face encounter between Putin and a Trump administration Cabinet member.

It was not the first meeting between the two men. Tillerson, as CEO of ExxonMobil, forged a close relationship with the Russian leader over business dealings in the past. In 2013, Putin personally awarded Tillerson the Russian Order of Friendship when the two met to negotiate ExxonMobil’s $50 billion deal for Russian oil and gas rights.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov  and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met and spoke to the press after the Putin-Tillerson meeting

Tillerson and Lavrov spoke to the press after meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in an extended display of US-Russian disagreements over the chemical attack that left more than 80 dead; the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s future; US actions in the Middle East; and Russian involvement in the US election.

Still, the two diplomats hinted that they could find common ground on this issue. Tillerson said that the US wouldn’t dictate how Assad’s departure takes place, saying, "We leave that to the process going forward," and added that it’s important his departure "is done in an orderly way" and that it will "take a pace of its own."

Lavrov, meanwhile, said that Russia is "not staking everything on a personality … we are simply insisting that everybody sits around the table and talks about it."

Lavrov also announced that Putin has agreed to reinstate a military "deconfliction" channel to ensure there are no unintended clashes in the skies above Syria. And Tillerson said that the two sides had agreed to establish a working group that would address smaller frictions and aim to make progress on larger differences.

The news conference came after Lavrov issued a warning to Tillerson Wednesday against any further US strikes on the Syrian regime. Russia is Syria’s most powerful ally.

Russia has rejected the US conclusion that Damascus was responsible for last week’s chemical attack, which killed 89 people and prompted the US to carry out its first strike against the Syrian regime in the six-year conflict, taking out aircraft and infrastructure at a Syrian military air base.

"The facts we have are conclusive" that the attack was planned and carried by Syrian government forces, Tillerson said, adding that the US was "quite confident of that" and describing it as "just the latest in a series of uses of chemical weapons by the Assad regime."

Lavrov countered, "It is perfectly obvious the subject is one we diverge on." He floated an alternate theory that "some of these stockpiles are being controlled by extremists," and added, "Russia is insisting on an objective investigation" and will protest if it does not take place.

Tillerson said he told the Russian leader that current relations between the two countries are at a "low point" … "There is a low level of trust between our two countries" … "The world’s two foremost nuclear owners cannot have this kind of relationship."

Lavrov said that the U.S. and Russia have agreed on the need for a United Nations probe of the Syrian chemical attack … an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the chemical attack and the U.S. response to "try and identify the culprits" … a step that could dial down the rhetoric between the two nations for now.

The two sides expressed their agreement over the need to defeat the Islamic State in the region. Lavrov said defeating the terrorist group is a more important priority than Assad remaining in power. Lavrov also that Putin could restore a military hotline with the U.S. if Washington focuses on fighting the Islamic State and other extremist groups.

Both officials addressed the question of allegations of Russian interference in the U.S. elections. Tillerson said there was no talk of additional sanctions in the wake of U.S. charges over the issue, but noted that it was an issue raised by Congress. "We are mindful of the seriousness of that particular interference in our elections and I am sure that Russia is mindful of it as well." Lavrov, echoing past denials of any Russian hacking or other interference in the electoral process, said Moscow hasn’t seen “a single fact, or even a hint at facts” proving the U.S. allegations of Russian interference.

U.S. Drops a MOAB … ‘Mother of all Bombs’ … Largest non-Nuclear Bomb … on Afghanistan

The U.S. military dropped one of its most powerful non-nuclear bombs — a massive 21,000-pound conventional bomb nicknamed the "Mother of All Bombs" — on an ISIS tunnel complex in eastern Afghanistan, the first time it has been used in combat.

The GBU-43B, a MOAB (Massive Ordinance Air Blast) weapon, was dropped from a U.S. Air Force C-130 cargo plane due to its massive size, where U.S.-backed Afghan forces are battling the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

A GBU-43B weighs a massive 21,000 pounds and costs $16 million each. The bomb, dropped from a C-130 cargo plane, explodes in the air, creating air pressure that can collapse tunnels and buildings.
It will not only destroy a tunnel complex … its blast, which can be heard and felt for miles, also projects a psychological impact because of the awesome sensation of massive destructive power that it casts.
By comparison, each Tomahawk cruise missile launched at a Syrian military air base last week weighed 1,000 pounds each. Each MOAB is like 21 cruise missiles hitting the same point all at once.

The decision to drop the bomb was made because it was the best fit for the target: tunnel complexes in a rural area far enough from innocent civilians, and lethal enough to kill ISIS fighters.
The White House was told about the bomb’s use but that the use of the bomb did not require the president’s approval. The military had the authority to use the bomb under President Barack Obama as well as President Trump.

Fighting between ISIS and Afghan forces in the region has intensified recently. A U.S. Special Forces Green Beret soldier advising the Afghans was killed in the area Saturday, the first U.S. combat death this year.
The Islamic State has emerged over the past year as a threat in Afghanistan, though the organization is not nearly as large as the Taliban, which ruled the country until the U.S.-led invasion in 2001.

The U.S. estimates that between 600 to 800 ISIS fighters are present in Afghanistan, mostly in Nangarhar. The U.S. has concentrated heavily on combatting them while also supporting Afghan forces battling the Taliban.

President Trump launched 59 Tomahawk Cruise Missiles on Syria … Russian Warship arrives along Israel Coast … Is this the beginning of WW 3 ?

President Trump launched 59 Tomahawk E Cruise Missiles on Syria causing severe damage to Shayrat air base in Syria, southeast of Homs. Russia also uses this base and has invested heavily in it. U.S. intelligence believes that a deadly gas attack on Syrian civilians was carried out by government aircraft from the Shayrat air base.

Two U.S. destroyers, the USS Ross and USS Porter, launched the Tomahawk cruise missiles south of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and hit their targets at at 3:45 a.m. local time in Syria. Each destroyer carries about 35 Tomahawks. U.S. officials said there were up to 100 Russian military personnel present at the base when the missiles hit. The Russians were warned about an hour before the missiles hit the base, defense officials said.

The Tomahawk “E” or Echo version is the latest model and has two-way satellite communication allowing the missile to be reprogrammed in flight if needed. The missiles can carry 1,000-pound warheads.

The U.S. launched the cruise missiles in response to a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians, the first direct assault on Syria since the beginning of that country’s bloody civil war in 2011.

The U.S. began launching airstrikes in Syria in September 2014 under President Barack Obama as part of its coalition campaign against ISIS, but has only targeted the terrorist group and not Syrian government forces … until today under President Trump.

Russia’s Response: Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the US airstrikes on Syria, describing it as "an act of aggression against a sovereign state" that "dealt a serious blow to Russia-US relations," according to a Kremlin statement. Russia said it believed Syria had destroyed all of its chemical weapons and the US strikes were based on a "trumped-up pretext." The risk of a direct collision between the US and Russia in Syria had "significantly increased" since the US missile strike, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Peskov added that it was "indisputable" that the US airstrike on Syria "was carried out for the benefit of ISIS and other terrorist organizations."

A Russian warship, likely loaded with the newest Russian Cruise Missiles, has entered the eastern Mediterranean. Its destination and target is unclear. 

Captain Rick: I wonder if this is the beginning of World War 3?  I think President Trump made a poor choice, buckling in to FAKE NEWS and the US Intelligence Machine, all of which I think are very corrupt. In the process President Trump is blowing a big chance to gain a friendship with a very intelligent person … President Vladimir Putin of Russia … a person I consider to be one of the most intelligent leaders of our world. As a huge supporter of President Trump, I am saddened by his actions, which cast him into the same war monger group that contains both U.S. Presidents Bush.  I hope that President Trump will recapture his own mind, like he presented during campaign season and stop bowing into FAKE NEWS and question the info he is receiving from the very corrupt U.S. Intelligence Machine.  

Did alternative media really help Trump win?

Captain Rick: Historic US Election Upset. Trump wins by a landslide, when MSM (Main Stream Media) and US polls predicted the opposite. US Polls and News Media were SO WRONG! Their credibility has sunken to ZERO!
The following report is authored by a fellow WordPress journalist based in the UK.

Self-driving cars go public … Uber offers free rides in Pittsburgh

Captain Rick: The option to hail a ride in a self-driving car, which was science fiction just a few years ago, will soon be available to Uber users in Pittsburgh, the first time the technology has been offered to the general public. Within weeks customers will be able to opt into a test program and summon an autonomous Ford Fusion. But since the technology has not been perfected, the cars will come with human backup drivers to handle any unexpected situations.

Eventually there will come a day when driverless cars become common place and will be much safer than the large percentage of todays cars with idiots behind the wheel, texting and doing everything but paying attention to driving, including those driving under the influence. I would feel much safer having cars around me that pack a million dollars worth of technology watching the road and controlling the vehicle, than ones driven by idiots not watching the road at all.

Uber has a self-driving research lab in Pittsburgh. Uber-branded test cars have been on Pittsburgh roads for several months. Other companies including Google are testing self-driving cars on public roads, but  none offers rides to regular people. As an enticement, the autonomous rides will be free. If I lived in Pittsburgh, I would be one of its first riders.

It will be a few years before autonomous cars will acquire a license to drive on their own. This is a way to get autonomous cars out there and become accepted on the roadways. New technology begins somewhere. Pittsburgh is one of those places and Uber is an innovative, driving force. The real breakthrough for autonomous cars will happen when a company puts one on public roads without a backup human. For now, like a motorcycle canyon jumper with a safety net, Uber isn’t ready to take the big leap … but perhaps one day soon it will be.

USA Flag Day … Fly it proudly across America

Captain Rick: The American flag…Old Glory…The Star-Spangled Banner flies proudly over my Arizona Oasis every Flag Day. It reminds me of the great land in which all Americans have the privilege of living in freedom. 

Flag Day…a brief history:

In the United States, Flag Day is celebrated on June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which happened on that day in 1777 by resolution of the Second Continental Congress.

On June 14, 1777, less than one year after Betsy Ross had received the order from General Washington to make the first flag, the Second Continental Congress passed a flag resolution stating:

Resolved, That the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.

The first national observance of Flag Day was on June 14, 1877; 100 years after the flag resolution was adopted by the Continental Congress.

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation stating that June 14 shall be National Flag Day, and in 1949, it was made official by an Act of Congress.

Captain Rick’s inspiration: Your help is needed to keep the Flag flying

Do not take the American Flag and its representation of freedom for granted. The United States of America is entering very difficult fiscal times with the US National Debt approaching $18 Trillion…far greater than US GDP.  America is spending $1 Trillion more per year than it receives in revenue. Its going to get worse. Millions of ‘baby boomers’ are retiring that will result in sky-rocketing Social Security costs. Obamacare will massively expand the number receiving Medicaid and its mushrooming costs. Social Security and Medicaid will become insolvent in the next 10 or so years. Simply put, there is not enough revenue to sustain the United States of America’ spending binge indefinitely. Our President and Congress have demonstrated nothing but a ‘kick the can down the road’ approach…which if continued much longer will guarantee the fall of America over the pending real ‘fiscal cliff’…of which at the bottom lies America as a ‘third world nation’.

What can you do to help?

There are lots of ways you can help. Research the candidates running for office. Support and vote for those you feel will do a better job than the vast majority of do-nothing, ‘kick-the-can-down-the-road’, politically-motivated ‘clowns’ in the current ‘Washington Circus’.

Many states and districts have no credible candidate on the roster. Consider taking the noble step of running for an office. Do not worry about the money it takes to run. If you have a voice that deserves to be heard, I am confident there are ways to address that.

I do not have all of the answers of how to fix the gigantic mess that America faces. I urge everyone to get involved. Join one of a zillion Facebook groups discussing the issues. I recommend one that focuses on finding solutions, rather than just gossiping…such as Captain Rick’s WORLD THINK TANK: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WorldThinkTank/

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Interesting ATRIDIM NEWS JOURNAL Links:

U.S. Debt Crisis

Economy

Captain Rick’s Fiscal Cliff Course 101

John Fitzgerald Kennedy … my memory of that day in 1963 when the world stopped

Captain Rick: That awful day in November 1963, when President John Kennedy was assassinated, was forever burned in my memory. It was such a tragic day that the world seemed to stop turning. I was 16, in my junior year in high school, when I heard the awful news projected over the school PA system during lunch. I do not remember many details…only that there seemed to be an awesome silence that totally engulfed everyone of all ages as we listened to the live news feed being broadcast. The memory remains as the most outstanding public event of my childhood. It was a day that the world truly stopped turning with the loss of a great American president.

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Heather Rankin, Canadian curler & author of hit YouTube video ‘For Alberta-Love Echoes’ presents her story of the 2013 Alberta Floods

Captain Rick: The 2013 floods in Alberta were historic. Heather Rankin’s ‘For Alberta-Love Echoes’ hit video on YouTube excellently displays Alberta’s outpouring of love in a massive volunteer effort during and after the floods to help their neighbors recover from a disaster that took lives, created billions in damage and will take years to recover from.

After I presented Heather’s video in my July 7 ANJ report: Love echoes in Alberta after historic flooding I was able to link up and asked her if she would consent to telling her story on ATRIDIM NEWS JOURNAL. She replied “Sure go for it”.

About Heather Rankin

I asked Heather to contribute a photo and tell us a bit about herself. Heather contributed the above photo and replied “I am a recently retired professional curler here in Canada at the precipice of moving into coaching once my 6 year old boy gets a little older. It is truly the story of who I am as it is a sport I have competed and excelled here in Canada for well over 30 years and it has allowed me to meet many Canadians and Americans on my travels around the globe playing a sport I love. As for other labels, I am a business analyst and project management consultant presently working on Operational Excellence at a large oil and gas company. My specialization is software engineering and data, which is a very linear left brain profession (and let’s admit it boring), so I like to supplement my day job with many creative endeavors like trying to capture the way love echoes throughout our world, the art of Qigong, and the beauty of nature and hiking. I have love (ai) tattooed on my left arm in mandarin Chinese, to remind me to be and spread love everyday in every way. My son and Australian Labradoodle puppy help me to see the echo of love and to watch life unfold through their eyes is enchanting. How he gets lost in a moment of play with his cars, watching the boy with dog explore and discover the wonder of nature and each other, and the joyful way he makes best friends everywhere he goes by smiling and saying hi (now that is the best echo).”

I asked Heather to share her special thoughts. She replied “I want the story and movie to be the focus not so much me. Thank you again for showing the world the greatness that lives in Canada and more specifically our wondrous beautiful province of Alberta. Come on up y’all, we are open :)”

Guest Commentary

by

Heather Rankin

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

“For Alberta – Love Echoes”

Thanks Captain Rick for focusing the video I made for the people, first responders, city workers, and all those affected by the Flood in Alberta, Canada. It was so shocking for many reasons to live through this emergency in the province and city of Calgary that I call home. For those that may not know Alberta is the oil and gas backbone of Canada, we are a province of many different types of Canadians coming west for many reasons to make Alberta their home. Many have come in search of money, of a large multi cultural white collar city with many different kinds of experiences and jobs, some have come to live a western lifestyle, for education, for sports and training for the Olympics (as we hosted the 88 Olympics and a lot of our training places are located here), or to live in the beauty of vast open spaces, wildlife and the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. Others have grown up here with the Alberta engrained ethics of family first, hard work and play even harder which you adopt when you move in. To see the beauty of our land devastated, our infrastructures collapsing and our homes ruined destroyed much for us Albertans including our innocence and armour that we have it all. What grew out of this devastation was such intense love, family, hard work and the reminder that we are more than what we have accomplished but that we are the sum of our parts. It showed that the true beauty of Alberta is the beauty of the people, from a mayor who managed the event with a classic style of love, sense of humour and dedication that made everyone feel safe despite the walls falling down around us, to the hard working dedicated fearless caring first responders to the souls who opened their doors to people in need. Did you know that 120,000 people were evacuated from their homes but only 1500 ended up in evacuation centres, the rest were put up by people opening their homes to complete strangers. Did you also know that the downtown core of a city of 1.2 million people was closed, had no power or lights for 5 days and we had no crime, no looting and no deaths. Did you know that the City had to stop people from volunteering and helping because it was too dangerous. They asked for 100 volunteers and 30,000 showed up. Once people were allowed back in their homes to see devastation and didn’t know where to start, groups of hundreds of Albertans showed up and knocked on doors of complete strangers homes with a smile and a shovel and stayed for days in mud, heat, mosquito and sewage invested waters helping people they did not know recover. Did you know the Greatest Outdoors Show on Earth is on right now as I type and the complete facility was 10 feet under water for a week just 10 days ago. The Calgary Stampede is an event that stands for Alberta. It shows pride, family, the cowboy work ethic and the joy that our people have in their hearts to survive, succeed, live, love and laugh. Some from afar have criticized why we would go forward with the Stampede, but it has never not been held, wars, depression, nothing has stopped it and the people of Calgary wanted it to go on to celebrate after all these hardships, come hell or high water (the motto of this year’s stampede).

I hope my movie depicted the depth of the disaster, it will cost Alberta billions of dollars and 10 years to get back to where we were. I also hope it depicts loud and clear the strength of our people, the resilience, the belief we have in the process, the faith we have in each other, the sense of humour that Canadians often show the world as being part of who we are and how we roll and of most importance that we are all connected, we are one energy, one formidable humanity that when powered by love we can do anything.

Please share and show how the Love Echoes…… Thank you for showing the World Captain Rick.

Heather Rankin

View Heather’s video in my previous report: Love echoes in Alberta after historic flooding

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Associated ATRIDIM NEWS JOURNAL Report Categories:

Canada

Disasters of our World

Guest Commentary

Historic Events

Love echoes in Alberta after historic flooding

Captain Rick: An abundance of love echoed across Alberta Canada during the historic flooding in late June as people worked together to survive and recover. This 10 minute YouTube video captures photographic moments of those ‘love echoes’ with excellence.

Receding waters gave way to a mammoth cleanup of affected areas, aided by a spontaneous volunteer campaign in which many home owners were assisted by complete strangers.

Appreciation:

I extend my appreciation to June of Tennessee for sharing this excellent video by Heather Rankin. I invited Heather to share her thoughts on this excellent video masterpiece (which has already been viewed by 50,000 on YouTube) in a comment below.

I extend special appreciation to Sandi of Calgary Alberta for contributing an eyewitness report to my breaking ATRIDIM NEWS JOURNAL Report on June 21, 2013: Historic Flooding in Alberta

2013 Alberta Flood Stats
Worst in Alberta’s history. Areas along the Bow, Elbow, Highwood, Red Deer, Sheep, Little Bow, and South Saskatchewan rivers and their tributaries were particularly affected.
A total of 27 local states of emergency were declared and 28 emergency operations centres were activated as water levels rose and numerous communities were placed under evacuation orders.
Four people were confirmed dead as a direct result of the flooding
Over 100,000 people were displaced throughout the region.
Some 2,200 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) troops were deployed to help in flooded areas.
Preliminary estimates suggest damage from the flood could be between C$3–5 billion.

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