T.O. islands brace for more rain

The fight against flooding suffered a serious setback Thursday, as heavy rains and high waves combined to submerge nearly half the Toronto islands land.

“We can batten down the hatches as best we can, be as proactive as possible, but as the water level continues to rise, it goes further inland than it ever has before,” said Nancy Gaffney, head of the Toronto Region and Conservation Authority’s watershed programs.

City crews pumped water off the islands after one rain storm, while filling heavy duty sand bags to prepare for the next one.

Algonquin Island resident Wayne Fraser said most people on the islands had some degree of flooding in their homes.

“Our house is on . . . probably one of the higher points of Algonquin, (but) because of the amount of rain Thursday, we had significant pooling in the crawl space and pooling in the yard, which has never happened up until this point.”

On Friday, Toronto Public Health warned island residents to avoid contact with the floodwater, at the risk of contracting E. coli or the parasite cryptosporidium. Young children, the elderly or those with compromised immune systems could get an upset stomach from coming into contact with the water.

Lake Ontario’s water levels are at their highest ever — breaking a record that had stood since 1952 — according to data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It is not clear when the waters may begin to fall.

Environment Canada says there is a 40-per-cent chance of showers Sunday. But water levels will continue to rise with or without rainfall.

“There’s still so much water coming through from the upper Great Lakes, which are getting a lot of precipitation too. We need several weeks for dry weather to make a big difference,” Gaffney said.