Heavy rain drenches GTA; causes flooding, transit chaos

TORONTO – Heavy rain flooded rivers, shut down expressways, crippled public transit, and left many residents in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area without power following Monday’s rainstorm.

Heavy rain brought the GTA to a halt, in the heart of the evening rush hour.

Flooding shut down the Don Valley Parkway, knocked out power for thousands in the GTA and froze subway service during the evening commute.

“All hands on deck. Everyone’s doing the best we can with what we have,” Mayor Rob Ford said in a live interview with 680News.

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City response

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford addressed the media Tuesday, and said he is proud of city staff who worked through the night to restore power.

He also said that while the city weathered the storm, there are areas that still need improvement.

Ford ordered a complete review of emergency procedures to plan for future events like Monday, and called on residents to do their part.

“I must stress, this is crucial — that we all reduce our electricity for today to help relieve the strain on our hydro system. We’re hanging on by a thread right now,” Ford said.

He also asked residents to turn off all non-essential electronics and lights.

Traffic updates

The northbound lanes of the Don Valley Parkway reopened at 4:30 a.m., while the southbound lanes, which were closed from Don Mills Road to the Gardiner Expressway, reopened at around 5:30 a.m.

Toronto police Const. Clint Stibbe with Traffic Services tweeted that Rosedale Valley from Bayview Avenue to Park Road “will be closed for a good part of the day due to structural damage of roadway.”

Power updates

At one point on Monday, around 200,000 customers — largely in the west and northwest — were without power.

Toronto Hydro said customers who don’t do not live in the west-end and still don’t have power should report the outage at 416-542-8000.

At its peak, 80 per cent of Mississauga was knocked off the grid, according to the Enersource. Most, if not all, customers had their power restored by 3:30 a.m.

Shortly after 10 p.m., power was restored to residents in Markham, Vaughan and Richmond Hill, PowerStream said.

According to Hydro One, power was restored to 90 per cent of customers after flooding at its Richview and Manby transmission stations. At the height of the outage, around 400,000 to 500,000 customers in the GTA were impacted.

However, the power company is warning users to conserve power Tuesday due to the “potential for additional outages.”

With the temperature expected to reach near 37 C with the humidex, “a lot of strain will be placed on the electrical grid and could reverse progress already made to restore power.”

Food safety

According to City of Toronto health officials, if your fridge was without power for more than six hours, perishable foods, meat, fish, poultry and eggs should be thrown out. However, if your freezer was closed, food should keep for 48 hours without power.

Transit updates

Subway and LRT service was back up Tuesday morning.

As of Tuesday night, the TTC says subway service between Jane and Kipling stations will not resume Wednesday morning. Shuttle buses will operate until power is restored to the area.

The TTC also said riders should expect longer than normal travel times on buses and streetcars.

TTC CEO Andy Byford personally greeted riders at Union station Tuesday, and thanked them for their patience as TTC staff had to deal with flooded stations, power outages and trains trapped in the tunnel on Monday evening.

“I hope that people will see that we really pulled out the stops to get to get things done. I am very proud of my staff this morning,” Byford told 680News.

Rainfall amounts

Environment Canada said 126 millimetres of rain fell at Pearson International Airport, beating the 121.4-millimetre record set by Hurricane Hazel in 1954.

The rain smashed a previous one-day rainfall record of 29.2 millimetres in 2008 and trounced the 74.4 millimetres monthly average for July.

Air travel affected

The Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is open and ferry service is operating, but travellers should contact Porter Airlines and Air Canada to inquire about their flight status.

Pearson Airport’s website was down due to flooding issues, but came back online just after 9:30 a.m.

On Monday, Porter Airlines tweeted at about 7 p.m. that it had cancelled all flights out of Billy Bishop for the rest of the evening due to power outages in the terminal.

Flooding issues

Residents in Toronto can call 311 to report a blocked basement drain or sewer back-up. The City of Toronto advises to call your insurance company to report any property damage caused by flooding.

City officials across the GTA reminded residents to exercise caution around creeks and ponds due to high water levels.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority said it had received a report that the banks of the Don River were at risk of collapse in the Hoggs Hollow area near Yonge Street and York Mills Road. However, after investigation it found there was no risk and it will reassess after the water recedes.

Police advised residents to stay at home if possible and avoid driving completely.

GTA impact

Mississauga

Residents can call 311 to report basement flooding related to the storm, and to select option #1 (Region of Peel) if the flooding includes sewage waste.

Commuter chaos on Monday

Coun. Doug Ford directed traffic at Islington Avenue and Dixon Road after power was knocked out in the area.

The councillor said he was en route to purchase a pump due to flooding in the basement of his mother’s Etobicoke home and went to pitch in.

“There was just mass chaos at the intersection of Islington and Dixon so I just pitched in like anyone else would,” he told 680News.

“The community’s pitching in.”

“The firefighters and EMS and the police are just doing an incredible job.”

At one point on Monday, there was no service from Downsview to St. Clair West, Osgoode to Bloor, Lawrence to Finch, Jane to Kipling and on the Sheppard line.

GO Transit train service was also disrupted after portions of track along the western Lakeshore and Richmond Hill lines were left under water.

A rush-hour train became stranded in floodwaters up to the lower windows as it made its way north to Richmond Hill. All passengers were rescued around 1 a.m.