Toronto flood: Torrential rains flood Toronto, triggering power outages and traffic disruption
PTC News Desk: Three massive storms have dumped record amounts of rain, cutting off power, flooding sections of Toronto, and trapping motorists on the main highway that runs through the city.
According to Environment Canada, Toronto had more rain on Tuesday than it had on any previous day since 1941, with about 100mm (4in) falling there. Pictures and videos showed the city completely covered in water, automobiles that were almost completely submerged, and water gushing down Union Station’s stairs.
Drake, the pop musician, shared a video on Instagram that seems to show a portion of his Toronto residence, “The Embassy”, underwater. He wrote, “Better be espresso martini,” while a room filled with sludgy brown water on camera.
More than 167,000 consumers lost power as a result of the storm, according to Toronto Hydro. Additionally, a number of flights from Billy Bishop Airport, which is located on the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario, were canceled or delayed.
Flooding obstructed the Don Valley Parkway, a significant thoroughfare that along the Don River in both directions. Police anticipate that Ontario Highway 410 will be closed for another day while cleanup personnel work on it.
At least 14 individuals have been rescued, according to the authorities, one of whom had to be removed from their car’s roof.
Many complaints from persons stuck in elevators were made to Toronto’s fire department during business hours when a significant portion of the city center lost electricity.
According to meteorologists, the city experienced three successive storms that contributed to Tuesday’s record rainfall.
Meteorologist Dave Phillips told the local TV station CP24, “We had 25 percent more rain in three hours than we’d normally have in the whole month of July with all the thunderstorms and systems that moved through.”
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The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority issued a warning, stating that the city’s shorelines, rivers, and streams are particularly vulnerable to flooding. Toronto is susceptible to increasing sea levels since it has more than a dozen rivers and streams.
Olivia Chow, the mayor of Toronto, stated that she was unaware of the reason behind the Don Valley Parkway’s previous closure due to floods.
She went on to say that in order to prevent future flooding of this kind, the city was “massively investing” in cleanup operations. In 2013, Toronto saw a severe and expensive July storm that resulted in over 1,000 passengers needing to be rescued from a flooded train and at least 300,000 people losing electricity.
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