Flood emergency declared in Peterborough, Ont.

Currently Listening To: The Radio
 
Flood emergency declared in Peterborough, Ont.
CTV.ca News Staff

Many people in Ontario city of Peterborough spent their supper hour frantically piling sandbags to fight rising floodwaters.
Their city is under a state of emergency, having been hit with a mind-boggling deluge of rain in the last 24 hours.
"We had a slow-moving weather disturbance called a cold low,"  Geoff Coulson of Environment Canada told CFTO News on Thursday.
Such systems are typically accompanied by heavy bands of precipitation -- which can pose problems when the system centres over an area, he said.
Peterborough was hit by two such bands, one Wednesday evening and the other early Thursday. Together, they dumped 193 millimetres of rain on the city of 70,000, Coulson said.
CFTO News weatherman Dave Devall had two words for Peterborough and other Eastern Ontario cities: More rain.
"This system is very slow-moving and it's loaded with moisture," he said.
Environment Canada has virtually all of Eastern Ontario under a weather warning.
State of emergency
Peterborough Mayor Sylvia Sutherland and police chief Terrence McLaren declared a state of emergency early Thursday, when backed-up storm sewers left parts of the city under water overnight.
The downpour dumped so much water on the central Ontario city, sewers and the Ontanabee River running through town were filled beyond capacity.
While the city's drinking water is safe, people living downstream were advised to not take water from the Otanabee River.
Under the weight of so much rainwater, part of the roof of Lansdowne Place shopping mall collapsed. Some 200 residents were also evacuated from a long-term care facility after its roof suffered a partial collapse.
Basements flooding almost to the main floor were a common sight, and toilets on the ground level of a downtown hotel were spewing dirty water.
In parts of the city's downtown core, flooding was so bad, streets were impassable. Transit service was suspended and many businesses remained closed.
CFTO News' John Musselman said one of the most heavily-called businesses in Peterborough Thursday were insurance companies. However, no one has a damage estimate yet, he said.
Alicia Kay-Markson said there was a report that some valuable historical books were damaged.
One family told CFTO News that this was the third flood that's hit their home since 1980, but is by far the worst.
Police Staff Sergeant Steve Streeter says officials are taking small consolation in the fact no injuries have been reported.
"Fortunately we have not had any reports of injuries. We do have some heavy flooding in various parts of the city, but people are coping reasonably well so far."
To make sure that doesn't change, Streeter told CTV Newsnet that Peterborough residents should stay home.
"If you have no reason to leave your home and are relatively safe and dry, home is probably a good place to be," he said. "We still have some heavy flooding in various areas within the city and getting around is difficult."
Some people tried to make the best of it, going out in canoes and kayaks, and a few even swimming. But health officials said people should avoid the dirty water as much as possible.
 
Other flooding
Elsewhere in the province, as well as parts of neighbouring Quebec, officials are dealing with the effects of recent days' thunderstorms.
Near the northern Ontario city of North Bay, for example, officials are dealing with roads washed out by heavy rain.
Responding to at least two separate washouts, the Ontario Provincial Police says a section of Highway 63 linking North Bay and Temiscaming has been closed.
Deluged by more than 70 millimetres of rain, Temiscaming mayor Philip Barrette says his town is essentially isolated.
The only road out, Highway 101, leads north to Ville Marie, Quebec. Parts of that highway was also washed away but it has since re-opened.
CFCF News' Rob Lurie said rivers in the Temiscaming area were already high when the new rain hit.
"The new rain washed out beaver dams, that made the water levels rise even more, and it literally started coming right through the road."
Officials really hope water levels don't rise further, especially in the Ottawa River, he said.
 
 
Oh and the best part yet!! More rain ahead for tonight! Doesn't that just make you happy??