Dilkens urges caution after downpour turns streets into rivers

Calling it one of the worst Windsor floods of his lifetime, Mayor Drew Dilkens urged people Tuesday to avoid underwater roads and basements.

Dilkens also noted that while the flood of 2016 brought more rain, streets were harder hit this year — and said the frequency of bad storms seems to be increasing.

“In my lifetime it’s one of the most significant events, and we’ve seen two of them in just a very short period of time,” Dilkens said Tuesday evening at the Goyeau Street firehall. “We know this is happening with greater frequency and we’re dealing with it as best we can.”

Fewer basements flooded than in 2016 but the road flooding was worse, said Dilkens, who credits some of the city’s anti-flooding initiatives. “That could be a function of folks taking advantage of the backwater (valve) program, the disconnect program. And certainly, we would rather have water on the roads than in people’s basements.”

As of Tuesday evening, the city had fielded 310 reports of flooded basements across the city. That compares to 3,000-plus flooded basements in 2016, though those calls accumulated over a few days.

“All the storm water management systems are operating as normal,” Dilkens said. “It’s the sheer volume of rain that’s the problem. All the pumps have been and are operational.”

Dilkens, whose own home experienced basement flooding Tuesday, drove around the city in his SUV and saw some of the hardest hit areas firsthand — including abandoned cars on Dougall Avenue and an underwater George Avenue which he managed to navigate.

“I tried going down George and thought I could make it down — and I did,” Dilkens recounted. “But if I could do it again I certainly would take another route.”

He urged motorists to avoid flooded streets. And he reminded residents that Enwin Utilities warns people not to wade into water higher than electrical outlets, given the possibility of electrocution. The number to call for an electrical disconnection is 519-255-2727.

Dilkens did not declare a state of emergency, but met with representatives from many agencies at the city’s emergency command centre.

Fire Chief Stephen Laforet said water slowed fire trucks on certain streets but that the department kept up with demand.

“We are experiencing a little bit of difficulty travelling down roads that are flooded, just like anybody else,” Laforet said. “But we’re still within our capacity.”

Windsor Police Sgt. Steve Betteridge said that as of Tuesday evening, only one accident — at Dominion Boulevard and Totten Street — had reported injuries, but that the water nevertheless caused issues. The most problems, however, were reported on Dougall Avenue.