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Significant weather event declared in St. Catharines after regional flooding, power outages
Homeowners in the Niagara Region are wading through water and debris left by extreme rainfall overnight.
One community in St. Catharines was especially hard hit, with property damage estimates in the tens of thousands.
The City of St. Catharines has declared a significant weather event to warn residents that the city may not be able to meet its normal maintenance standards.
Environment Canada is reporting that the hardest-hit areas in the Niagara Region received between 80 and 140 mm of rain. The federal agency says the downpour was the result of back-building thunderstorms — storms that build behind one another in succession, dumping an excessive amount of precipitation.
The City of St. Catharines says the area saw 138.75 mm of rain during the storm.
Longtime St. Catharines residents say they have never seen it this bad.
“I realized that my feet were almost underwater in the backyard, that’s about 30 feet behind the house, and I realized right away I’ve not seen a water table that high in this neighbourhood in the 20 years that I’ve lived here,” said Rick Robson.
Robson, a homeowner in the area, is an expert in basement restoration after flooding. He says the sanitary and storm sewer systems became overwhelmed while trying to drain the downpour away.
“You’re better to get a battery backup system,” Robson advised. “If the power goes out and you got this mega storm, you’re still going to fill up with water because your sump pump is not working without electricity.”
CHCH News viewers in north St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake reported basement flooding.
St. Catharines is offering the washrooms and showers at the Kiwanis Aquatics Centre for those impacted by flooding. The washrooms at Port Weller Community Centre, St. Catharines City Hall, the Seymour-Hannah Sports and Entertainment Centre and the St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre are all available to the public during regular business hours.
The city says while the lobby, washroom and showers at the Kiwanis Aquatics Centre are open, the pools are closed until further notice due to the impacts of flooding in part of the building.
The City of St. Catharines posted on social media that sports fields are closed on Tuesday and that trails are “temporarily closed until further notice” due to flooding and water damage from the storm.
The Garden City Golf Course is also closed until further notice, according to the city.
“We strongly urge residents to stay clear of creeks, rivers, and watercourses due to slippery banks and elevated water levels. Residents should also avoid areas in City parks and along trails with standing water, flooding, or erosion until crews can assess conditions and make repairs,” read a statement posted on the city’s Facebook page.
Today’s forecast for St. Catharines and Niagara Falls has a 40 to 70 per cent chance of rain, with risk of thunderstorms with up to five mm of rain projected.
Residents of St. Catharines looking for information on basement flooding can visit the city’s website.
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