Floods ravage western Canada

Heavy equipment begin repairs after a span of a railway bridge was swept away by flood waters on the Sheep River in Okotoks, Alberta, south of Calgary, June 23. Power outages in the Canadian oil capital of Calgary could last for weeks or even months, city authorities said on Sunday, as record breaking flood waters moved downstream to threaten smaller communities in southeastern Alberta.

Homeowner Glenn Tibbles looks at the damage done by floodwaters to his home near downtown Calgary on June 23. About 65,000 residents of Calgary were being allowed to return to their homes Sunday to assess the damage from flooding that has left Alberta's largest city awash in debris and dirty water.

Residents near downtown Calgary load bins with their mud-soaked belongings on June 23.

Residents pump floodwater from their homes in Calgary, June 23.

A woman walks down a flooded street in the Elbow Park area of Calgary, Alberta, June 22. Southern Alberta braced for more disruption on Saturday from floods that have killed at least three people, forced about 100,000 people from their homes and blacked out the center of Canada's oil capital, Calgary. Communities to the south and east of Calgary were put on high alert as the flood waters moved across the region. But with rainfall easing up, authorities were hopeful that the worst might now be over.

This aerial photo shows downtown Calgary, Alberta flooded on Saturday, June 22. The two rivers that converge on Calgary are starting to recede after floods devastated much of the southern Alberta province. The flooding forced authorities to evacuate Calgary’s entire downtown and hit some of the city’s iconic structures hard. The Saddledome, home to the National Hockey League’s Calgary Flames, was flooded up to the 10th row, leaving the dressing rooms submerged.

Cody Scott throws food away from a freezer trapped in a flooded basement in the Elbow Park area of Calgary, Alberta, June 22.

A police officer patrols deserted streets on a dirt bike in downtown Calgary, Alberta, on June 22.

Crew members from Enmax Energy frantically pump water out of an electrical sub-station to keep power running for parts of the city after it filled with water in Calgary, Alberta, on June 22.

A boat makes its way up a street after the Bow River overflowed its banks in a residential area of Calgary, Alberta, June 22, 2013. The heaviest floods in decades shut down the Canadian oil capital of Calgary on Friday, forcing the evacuations of tens of thousands of residents and closing the Alberta city's downtown core. Some 1,300 troops were deployed to help with rescues and the mandatory evacuations that forced 100,000 people from their homes in Calgary and thousands more in the small towns surrounding the city.

Mike Sommers carries his dog Kratos through the floodwater outside his apartment June 21, in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Widespread flooding caused by torrential rains washed out bridges and roads prompting the evacuation of thousands.

A woman looks at an abandoned and partially submerged police car after flooding from the Bow River hit the neighborhood of Sunnyside in Calgary, Alberta June 21. The flooding Bow River shut down the center of Calgary, Canada's oil capital, on Friday, and forced tens of thousands of residents to leave their soggy homes.

Residents leave the flooding downtown core as new orders evacuating all of downtown were issued in Calgary, Alberta June 21.

A search and rescue boat carries rescued passengers from a flooded industrial site near highway 543 north of High River, Alberta, Canada on June 21. The rescued passengers spent the night moored on a structure they built in the water. Calgary's mayor said Friday the flooding situation in his city is as under control as it can be, for now. Officials estimated 75,000 people have been displaced in the western Canadian city.

Cougar Creek washes out Eagle Terrace Road and breaches Elk Run Boulevard Bridge on June 20, in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Widespread flooding caused by torrential rains washed out bridges and roads prompting the evacuation of thousands.

A front end loader carries residents and a dog after they were rescued from the floodwaters in High River, Alberta, June 20. Calgary city officials say as many as 100,000 people could be forced from their homes due to heavy flooding in western Canada, while mudslides have forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway around the mountain resort towns of Banff and Canmore.

Homes along Cougar Creek in Canmore, Alberta barely hang on as flooding threatens to wash them away, June 20.

Residents carrying sandbags wade through floodwaters in High River in Alberta, June 20. A state of emergency has been issued for the town of High River, which is being evacuated.

Cars are submerged by the flood waters in High River, Alberta, June 20, after the Highwood River overflowed its banks.

Mike and Debra Bradfield evacuate their home in the neighborhood of Sunnyside in Calgary, Alberta, June 20. The city announced emergency evacuation orders for parts of downtown Calgary with more rain in the forecast and rapidly rising rivers.

Kevan Yaets swims after his cat Momo as floodwaters sweep him downstream and submerge his truck in High River, Alberta, June 20.

Cars float in water covering a downtown street in High River, Alberta June 20.