The clean up continues in the aftermath of the storm that rocked Central Alberta, early last week. While Red Deer declared a local state of emergency, and was extensively harried by the startlingly strong winds, Sylvan Lake was comparatively spared much of nature’s wrath on June 20.
Although much of the cleanup is finished, the Town of Sylvan Lake does not yet have a complete estimate of the total cost of cleanup. According to Communications Coordinator Joanne Gaudet, a more concrete dollar amount will be made clear when an insurance claim has officially been made and filed.
In an interview with the Sylvan Lake News, Gaudet said most of the damage wrought by the storm was concentrated along Lakeshore Drive, and “the main extent of it is just tree damage.”
All of the trees felled or stripped of their limbs and branches by the fierce winds of last week’s storm have been cleared from Lakeshore Drive. The brunt of the cleanup late last week, over the weekend and early this week has been concentrated in Sylvan Lake Provincial Park.
“We take a full inventory of public trees - we consider them assets, and assign them value,” said Gaudet. “The major damage was done to trees in the park system - they were the real victims. We haven’t even gotten to all our trees, and had to prioritize their cleanup,” said Gaudet.
Gaudet said one point of concern, as far as facilities were concerned, was the integrity of the electronic sign outside of the Municipal Government Building.
There is no formal timeline to the cleanup process, although Gaudet said the biggest priority is the cleanup on thoroughfares and in the Town’s park systems.
“We’re focusing on getting debris off the trails, and getting rid of the hazards in the area. It’s been busy for Public Works, cleaning the trees up - that’s been the main cause of damage and debris.”