Toronto crews are cleaning up after a severe rainstorm hit the city, along with other parts of Ontario and Quebec on Wednesday, causing significant flooding and power outages.
The intense storm brought damaging winds, lightning strikes and even freezing rain to parts of the province.
In Toronto, personal injury lawyer David Shellnutt shared photos and videos on social media of flooding on College Street at Dovercourt Road, which appeared to be ankle deep.
Shellnutt called out the city for not handling the flood. In a tweet, he mentions speaking to a city worker who told him they ran out of money to clean up the leaves from the storm drains back in the fall.
https://twitter.com/TheBikingLawyer/status/1643584675493867520?s=20
As a result, he along with his coworkers decided to take matters into their own hands and allegedly clean the gutters themselves.
Elsewhere in Ontario, residents are seeing the damage caused by the heavy storm which includes frozen branches, broken trees and collapsed wires.
THE CITY’S RESPONSE
In response, a City of Toronto spokesperson tells Now Toronto they are aware of the flooding in some areas, including the one near College Street and Dovercourt Road. Crews have responded to the area and are taking immediate measures to minimize the impact to residents.
“City crews have been regularly conducting street sweeping on arterial roads and low-laying areas and ensuring catch basin surfaces are free from debris and obstructions to prevent flooding.” the city said in a statement.
“The City understands the inconvenience and disruption that flooding can cause. City staff are monitoring the situation closely and crews continue to proactively clear catch basin surfaces across Toronto as well as respond to reports of flooding,” it added.
The city is asking members of the public to contact 311 if they notice high water levels or ponding on the roadways. It’s also asking drivers and bikers to avoid areas of flooding and to be patient with city crews as they work to clear the water as quickly as possible.
POWER OUTAGES IN ONTARIO AND QUEBEC
Meanwhile in other parts of Ontario, residents are still without power. As of Thursday afternoon, around 1,300 people are still in the dark, according to Hydro One.
In a statement Wednesday, Hydro One crews say they restored power to over 112,000 customers across parts of southern, central and eastern Ontario.
“Our highly-skilled crews, damage assessors and support staff have made steady progress restoring power as severe weather continues to damage local infrastructure,” Vice President of Distribution at Hydro One Chong Kiat Ng, said.
In Quebec, more than 1.1 million Hydro-Quebec customers are still without electricity as of this afternoon.
In a press conference Thursday, Quebec police confirmed that a falling branch from the storm killed a man in his 60s.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took to Twitter to offer his support for Quebec and Ontario.
WEATHER FORECAST AHEAD
The good news is that Mother Nature is awarding the city with some sunny days and warmer temperatures ahead.
Environment Canada says on Friday, Torontonians can expect a mix of sun and cloud in the morning with a temperature of 8 C. Then on Saturday, sunshine again with a high of 7 C. On Sunday, the sun keeps on giving as temperatures rise to a day-time high of 12 C.
