Major Toronto highways and thoroughfares were completely impassable, dozens of cars stranded and many drivers needed to be rescued by GTA emergency services
On Tuesday, summer storms of biblical proportions slammed Toronto, triggering record rainfall and flash floods. The torrential downpour submerged roads, knocked out power to thousands, and caused untold havoc to the city’s transit system. Several images and videos shared on social media showed the scale of the devastation.
Flash floods inundated major highways, including the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway, prompting closures and leaving many people stranded. Lakeshore Boulevard, near Ontario Place, was also swamped, disrupting service at nearby subway stations.
Emergency services were stretched thin as they fought to get a handle on the situation. Toronto firefighters were busy rescuing people from stranded vehicles and responding to calls of flooding in homes and buildings. Toronto Hydro reported widespread power outages impacting a peak of about 167,000 customers. Crews worked non-stop to restore power throughout the city.
The TTC (Toronto Transit Commission) reported significant disruptions due to flooding at stations. At one point, Union Station was plunged into darkness due to a power outage, forcing trains to bypass the major transportation hub.
Mayor Olivia Chow claimed the flooding did not impact emergency services. However, she acknowledged that there were some challenges and said the city would review its response to see if improvements could be made for future events.
Environment Canada warned that the saturated ground had little capacity to absorb more water, raising concerns about continued flooding risks.
Toronto residents have been urged to be patient as the city deals with the storm’s aftermath.
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