ALBERTA FARMLAND LOOKS TO HAVE ESCAPED WORST OF FLOOD

Farmland in the south of Canadian province Alberta looks to have escaped the worst of the flooding that seriously impacted Calgary over the past 10 days, causing insured damage that has been estimated as in excess of CAD2bn ($1.9bn). Katrina Bluetchen of the Alberta's provincial agriculture ministry said that early reports indicated most of the flooding to have been along waterways rather than over land, and that damage to crops was likely to be limited. Indeed, while some crops will be lost, other areas might benefit from the increased moisture in the ground, boosting yields later in the year. However, farmers in Manitoba were reporting that more than eight inches of rain could damage yields. Meanwhile, catastrophe modeller AIR Worldwide reported that the floodwaters had now mainly receded from the towns in Alberta, and that the clean-up was continuing. AIR said that the predominantly wood-frame construction of houses put homes with basements at the biggest risk. Apartment buildings and commercial buildings were more likely to have flood defences as part of the masonry and reinforced concrete construction. Finally, Canada-based Economical Insurance has warned consumers thinking of buying a used car to be aware of the presence on the market of vehicles that insurers have deemed a total loss as a result of the recent Alberta floods. The insurer warned consumers outside of Alberta to be on the look-out for signs that a vehicle has suffered from water immersion.