City Hall slowly recovering from extensive flood damage

City Hall is not even close to being back to normal sixweeks after floodwatersbrought widespread devastation to Calgary and other communities around southern Alberta.

The city says up to 12 feet of water had entered various parts of the municipal complex downtown just one day after the Bow River began to spill its banks, with the majority of water coming up through the ground and sewage system.

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Furniture, appliances and debris were found floating in the basement of the administration building.

Most of the roughly 2,000employees are still not able to work there, with 1,300 of them currently working from home or other temporary offices.

Three large generators are currently powering the building afterflooding destroyed themanyofthemechanical, electrical and IT systems.

The city says theplan is to have most people back in the buildings by early September, but it's the nearby parkade that has officials worried.

"We got a structural engineer to make sure that it was safe ... and then we had a team of electrical, mechanical andstructural engineersin hereand lighting designersto go through the entireparkade andfigure outwhat has to be replaced," said DeanBell with the Calgary Parking Authority.

"That was pretty easy thougheverything has to bereplaced."

The damage to the municipal complex is currentlyestimated to cost$25 million to repair.

The parkade, which officials hope to have openby December, is expected to cost $4 million alone.