St. Catharines declares significant weather event

The City of St. Catharines has declared a significant weather event following the heavy rain over the weekend.

The city’s Kiwanis Aquatics Centre lobby, washrooms, change rooms and shower facilities opened to the public at 5:30 a.m. on Monday to support residents who may not have access to such amenities.

This is not the first time St. Catharines residents have had to pump water out of their flooding basements.

“There’s an open hole and the water’s just gushing and it’s sewage, I know it’s sewage. It’s clean water and within an hour, it’s brown and you know what it is. And what do you do? You can’t stop it,” William Heerschap, a city resident, tells CHCH News.

“I’ve got two pumps going that can’t keep up. We’re not equip for this, we’re homeowners. Nobody expects this, not twice in a way, less than a week.”

“It seems like they kind of left us stranded. It looks like a hurricane went through when you drive down the streets, there’s just stuff all over everybody’s lawn,” says Kevin Lanthier, who owns a home in St. Catharines.

“As far as I know, the city is going to do reimbursements for prevention methods but that doesn’t help right now.”

The call for help in the wake of devastating flooding was echoed in a social media post by St. Catharines Mayor Mat Siscoe Sunday night which he recorded and posted from his own flooded basement.

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“The City of St. Catharines for the second time in five days is dealing with more than 100 millimetres of rain, about a hurricane’s worth dropped on the city in a short period of time,” Mayor Mat Siscoe says.

Siscoe called on both the provincial and federal governments to provide support as he said the city has been left to fend for itself.

Niagara Mayor Jim Diodati said in a social media post that his basement also wasn’t spared by the flooding.

“I’ve been flooded out. I’ve been hearing about it, reading about it in St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake and now I get a taste of it. It’s not a nice feeling. I feel really helpless and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Diodati says.

To assist clean-up efforts, the city says it’s expanding its enhanced waste collection starting on Monday.

Until Friday, the city will pick up unlimited regular household garbage bags and cans, as well as larger household items such as furniture and construction material.

Items must be placed four feet from the roadway by 7 a.m. Appliances, household hazardous waste and batteries are not accepted.

As a result of the flooding, Fourth Avenue in City of St. Catharines at Seventh Street Louth and Third Street Louth is closed. Victoria Avenue (Regional Road 24) in Town of Lincoln, Ont. at the railway underpass is also closed.

More information on what residents can do if their basements flooded can be found on the City of St. Catharines’ website.

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