Deadly flooding hits Canada's third-largest city

(CBS News) Calgary - Canada's third largest city - is underwater.

The unprecedented flooding in the province of Alberta has killed three people and driven 175,000 others from their homes.

"These are flood levels and volumes like we've never seen," said Alberta Premier Alison Redford. "The speed at which they're coming is entirely different, and the impact on communities has been really, tremendously tragic."

It began Thursday when record rainfall and melting snow funneled down the Canadian Rockies.

"It's really high right now," said one man, "and there's a lot of people that are going to be hurting."

The rushing water shot out over the town of Canmore like a tsunami, taking entire trees with it and washing out the Transcanada Highway.

"Our cul-de-sac had a little bit of water in it but not too bad, and then went for a cigarette, came back out of the garage and we had a river going down our road like in a matter of 10 minutes," another man said.

Caught between two overflowing rivers, Calgary's city center suffered some of the worst damage.

At Saddledome Arena - home to NHL's Calgary Flames - water reached the tenth row.

Thirty thousand residents remain without power.

"Standing on a bridge in the dark when the power is out listening to the roar of the river is terrifying," Redford said.

In Calgary - the oil capital of Canada - business as usual is not likely to resume for weeks or even months.