Bighill Creek breached its banks March 25 and flooded the basement of the Cochrane Historical Museum damaging the building and many artifacts.
“Daunting, devastating and overwhelming, I think that pretty much covers the whole thing,” said Bernice Klotz, the museum's secretary.
Late on Saturday evening water levels were high but did not seem to be a threat to the building. The basement was submerged under three feet of water only a few hours later.
Flooding of the Bighill Creek is not a regular occurrence and has never been a concern for the museum.
“We were always more concerned about fire,” said Larry Want, president of the Cochrane Historical and Preservation Society.
All infrastructure saturated by flood waters will be removed and replaced, but not all items in the basement can be easily replaced. Among the items damaged were old photographs and books.
“It’s more of a sentimental thing for us,” said Want.
Want, one of the first ones on the scene, returned to the site with sand and built up a barrier to prevent any further flooding.
The museum and firefighters did their best to save as many items from the basement, and a group of volunteers is now attempting to salvage photos, books and other historical artifacts.
Frank Hennessey, chairman of the museum committee, said that they are very thankful to the fire department for their help in salvaging items.
The Town of Cochrane Fire Services was on the scene for three hours with pumps, but could not keep up with the water.
Inspector Jeff Avery said that ice jams are unpredictable, unpreventable and additional pumps and sandbags would not have helped.
The group of volunteers have set up shop on a property outside of Cochrane and have utilized a barn to spread everything out to dry as much as they can.
“This [museum] has been my baby for 20 years,” said Klotz.
Reclamation of the basement has begun and the museum is expected to open for spring.
The flood has been classified as a category three or black water flood due to the bacterial risk posed by livestock and animal feces in the surrounding area.
Black water flooding is costlier to repair as it requires specialized equipment and training.
“We’re going to have to spend a lot of money to get us where we were, instead of moving ahead and that’s a big blow,” said Hennessey.
The costs of repairs are unknown, and the amount that insurance will cover is dependent on that total cost.
The museum is hosting a fundraiser on April 6 at the Cochrane Legion.
Tickets are still available.
Future fundraising will be planned to help cover the costs of the repairs and the museum always welcomes donations.
To donate or to purchase tickets to the April 6 fundraiser call Larry Want at (403) 932-4531 or Bernice Klotz at (403) 932-6507.
