Clearwater County, Rocky Mountain House, cleaning up after damage left behind by tornado

At this time, there have been no reported injuries.

Emergency crews, Alberta Forestry, Clearwater County, and Town of Rocky Mountain House Public Works crews are actively working to clear debris, restore access, and address immediate safety concerns.

Residents are asked to avoid affected areas, use caution on roadways, and stay clear of downed trees and power lines.

A full damage assessment will be completed in the coming days.

We thank all responding agencies and community members for their cooperation and patience as cleanup efforts continue.

Updated information will be posted on the County’s website at: www.clearwatercounty.ca

On Sunday afternoon, Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams, in a statement, said the Alberta government is in contact with Clearwater County, the Town of Rocky Mountain House and local emergency management officials to monitor the situation and determine what support may be required as recovery efforts continue.

He echoed the sentiments of Clearwater County in asking residents to avoid affected areas, use caution on roadways and stay clear of downed trees and power lines.

The MLA for Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre, Jason Nixon, said he wanted to sincerely thank first responders, municipal leaders, emergency management personnel, utility crews, public works staff, volunteers and everyone who stepped up.

“We will continue working closely with local municipalities and emergency officials to ensure they have the resources and support they need in the days and weeks ahead,” Nixon added.

The first indication of potential tornado activity came when the Alberta Emergency Alert System relayed a Tornado Warning from Environment Canada for south central Alberta at 5:22 p.m., warning of a progressing severe thunderstorm that could possibly produce a tornado.

Emergency alerts continued for the county until 7:56 p.m., but at 7:14 were broadened to include Rimbey, Crestomere, Eckville and Lacombe.

On its website, the Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) preliminarily confirmed an ‘over land’ tornado near Rocky Mountain House at 6:20 p.m. Saturday, however, its intensity has yet to be determined.

It follows a photo that blanketed social media sites Friday afternoon of another twister in a remote area near Robb, along the Alberta foothills.

While pinpointing the time at 5:00 p.m. Friday, NTP hasn’t provided any further details.

In recent weeks, Environment Canada has said that Alberta is seeing unusually wet and stormy weather, which has created conditions ripe for tornadoes.

Close to two dozen tornadoes have been recorded across the province this year as of last week, over double the number Alberta and Saskatchewan might see combined, in any given year.

by Dave Lueneberg

Clearwater County, Rocky Mountain House, cleaning up after damage left behind by tornado

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