Mountain View County has loaned out its sandbagger unit to the Alberta Emergency Management Agency in preparation for flood response in the southeastern part of the province.But county officials say there is no concern that they will be left short in the event flood conditions suddenly arise closer to home.ìWe have 3,500 bags already made up in storage and they're strategically located throughout the county,î infrastructure manager Pete Waycott said Thursday.ìThey're available at a moment's notice.îAs well, Waycott said, an agreement with the province assures the county can recover the unit immediately if needed.ìIt would take me about four hours to get it back here,î he said.AEMA requested the unit and on March 15 it was shipped by Cooters Transportation Systems of Sundre to the Medicine Hat area where it is currently in use. The county also supplied 3,000 sandbags to the response effort.Manufactured by the Sandbagger Corporation, the unit is a multi-bagger that can fill three bags at the same time. It requires three operators who fill the bags using a pedal to dispense material and to cut the flow once the bags are filled. The unit, purchased in 2009, is stored in the county's Sundre shop.The county says this is the first time AEMA has requested use of the unit. The City of Calgary also provided a sandbagger at AEMA's request.Localized flooding began occurring in mid-March in parts of the Cyprus Hills region and the City of Medicine Hat due to snowpack thaw and ice jams in the waterways.The province has committed $1.2 million for flood management in southeastern Alberta.
