Medicine Hat Flood 2013: Part 3

National media attention, portions of the city blocked off, and the military deployed - this was Medicine Hat as the river poured over the banks on Sunday. From River Road to the top of Scholten Hill, I continued to be a casual observer with my camera in hand as everyone became increasingly fascinated by the disaster hitting our prairie city. No doubt, some of the scenes were pretty incredible.

This was the flooding on Sunday night, the bottom shot was Friday.

A steady stream of onlookers walk the closed street atop Scholten Hill.

Medicine Hat Flood 2013: Part 2

Around 5am on Sunday morning I ventured down to the river to get my first look of the flood moving in. The South Saskatchewan River had started spilling onto River Road near City Hall, and with the company of a few other curious onlookers, we watched as over the course of 15 minutes the river continued to swallow the street.

Movement was limited as entire parts of the city were blocked off by police, and it was certain that the bridges would close by midday. The craziest experience for me was the sound of the river from the middle of Finlay Bridge. Not only was the water moving at an incredible speed, but amid the silence of the city, logs and even full trees in a few cases, were colliding into the pillars of Finlay and it echoed as they snapped. Now it seemed real. This was the start of the flood in our city.

In this 2 second exposure you can really get a sense of the water's speed.

I shot pictures of my cousin here a few weeks ago, it's all under water now.

Again, the long exposure emphasizes how fast the water is moving.

Less than 24 hours difference from the shot below.