Trans-Canada Highway reopens near Brooks following damaging storm

Residents in the Brooks area had their power knocked out and their properties damaged by a massive storm that rolled in on Wednesday night.

A section of the Trans-Canada Highway near Brooks, Alta., has reopened following a powerful storm that snapped powerlines and battered homes.

The fast-moving supercell tore though southern Alberta on Wednesday afternoon, bringing loonie-sized hail and damaging wind gusts.

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The storm caused the closure of Highway 1 between Brooks and Bassano due to multiple collisions and downed power lines.

On Thursday, eastbound Highway 1 remained closed near Brooks – with a detour at Highway 36 – while westbound Highway 1 was open but with just a single lane of travel.

Both directions were fully operational by 1:30 p.m.

For more information on Alberta travel conditions and closures, you can check out 511 Alberta on X.

Fortis Alberta outages

Officials with the County of Newell say technicians with Fortis Alberta are continuing to work on repairing service following the storm.

“Many in the area remain affected by significant transmission-related outages,” said a social media post from the County of Newell. “Our transmission provider, AltaLink, has experienced severe infrastructure damage.”

Estimated restoration times vary.

More details are available on the Fortis Alberta website.

Boil water advisory in Patricia

Residents in the hamlet of Patricia, within the County of Newell, are subject to a boil water advisory until further notice.

Newell Regional Landfill hit by storm

The Newell Regional Landfill near Brooks was also “severely impacted” by the storm, according to the County of Newell.

As such, access to the facility is limited.

In a social media post, the County of Newell said crews are working to complete restoration work at the facility, but it will take some time.

“We are asking all residential and commercial users to please limit garbage or waste disposal until our services can be fully restored. Crews are working diligently to get us back up and running – please be patient as we recognize when a disaster strikes safe disposal of waste, debris, trees and other material is a priority,” said the post.

“If accessing the landfill is urgent, expect major delays and please be respectful to our staff. The facility will be restored, and regular disposal will continue soon.”