2013 Toronto Flood Recap

Although the effects of the 2013 Toronto flood were still not as devastating as the crisis in Calgary earlier this summer, it was still the most significant rainfall Toronto has ever endured — more so than 1954’s Hurricane Hazel. Within a matter of 2-3 hours, downtown Toronto received 97mm of rain; other regions outside of the downtown core, such as Don Valley and Pearson Airport, reported 126mm. Toronto’s torrential downpour left 300,000 Hydro customers in the dark Monday night, 70,000 of which still had no power on Tuesday. The day of the storm brought several road closures and transportation cancellations, stranding many cars and commuters in the streets underwater.

One of the most heroic stories to emerge after-the-fact involved the Lakeshore East GO-train: 1,400 passengers were stuck on-board a flooded shuttle near Pottery Road, Don Valley. In small groups, one-by-one passengers were evacuated by emergency personnel. While this storey has made numerous headlines over the week, the Go-transit commuters were not the only Torontonians aghast by the flood. Since Environment Canada had not issued a warning until the storm had begun, many citizens were unprepared for the storm. Unfortunately, many properties were unavoidably damaged, costing residents thousands in basement repairs. The City of Toronto worked hard the following day to clean-up the mess and have things up-and-running as usual. Road closures and transit delays were lifted almost entirely by Wednesday.

Photos: Go Train Rescue — Chris Drost & Carreiro

“It is really, probably the most intense, wettest moment in Toronto’s history. No infrastructure could handle this…you just have to accept the fact that you’re going to be flooded.” – David Philips, Environmental Canada Senior Climatologist

Photos: The Canadian Press