Toronto suffers flooding, power outages after severe storms

Heavy rains from three major storms have flooded parts of Toronto, cut power and stranded drivers on the city’s main highway.

Environment Canada said nearly 100 mm (4 inches) of rain fell on Toronto on Tuesday, surpassing the city’s daily record set in 1941.

Photos and videos showed severe flooding across the city, with cars nearly submerged and water flowing down the stairs at Union Station.

Pop star Drake posted a video on Instagram showing part of his Toronto home, The Embassy, ​​flooded with water. “Better be an espresso martini,” Drake wrote, as the video showed brown water filling the room.

Toronto Hydro reported that the storm left more than 167,000 customers without power.

Several flights were also delayed or cancelled from Billy Bishop Airport, on the Toronto Islands in Lake Ontario.

The Don Valley Parkway, a major highway that runs alongside the Don River, was closed in both directions due to flooding. Highway 410 in Ontario was also closed, with police expecting it to remain open for another day as crews clean up the area.

Authorities said they rescued at least 14 people, including one who was pulled from the roof of his car.

Toronto Fire Department received numerous calls of people trapped in elevators, after power was cut to large areas of the city centre during working hours.

Meteorologists said Tuesday’s record rainfall was caused by three consecutive storms that hit the city.

“We saw a 25 percent increase in rainfall in three hours compared to what we normally get throughout July with all the thunderstorms and storms that came through,” meteorologist Dave Phillips told local news channel CP24.

The Toronto and surrounding area conservation authority has warned that areas near beaches, rivers and streams in the city are particularly vulnerable to flooding. There are more than a dozen rivers and streams in Toronto, making them vulnerable to rising water levels.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said she doesn’t know why the flood-prone Don Valley Parkway wasn’t closed earlier in the day.

She added that the city is “investing heavily” in clean-up efforts to ensure that similar flooding does not occur in the future.

Toronto suffered a severe and costly storm in July 2013, leaving at least 300,000 people without power and more than 1,000 passengers needing to be rescued from a flooded train.