HIGH WINDS TAKE TOLL ON LAKE ERIE SHORELINE
Lake Erie waves crash onto a home along Point Pelee Drive in Leamington on Wednesday as a surge of high winds caused flooding and shoreline damage across the region.
Conservation authorities monitor flooding in region
Officials from regional conservation authorities are keeping watch as high winds and waves continued to batter the Lake Erie shoreline Wednesday night.
The waves sprayed over a number of properties along Point Pelee Drive in Leamington and Erie Shore Drive in Chatham-kent south of Blenheim. Several front yards were flooded, but as of Wednesday afternoon, the roads remained open to traffic.
Environment Canada had issued a special weather statement due to strong southwesterly winds.
The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority reported that wind gusts started to shake a few homes just before noon.
However, the situation could have been worse, said Jason Homewood, Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority water resources and regulations technician.
“Winds didn’t hit as high as the forecasts were showing and weren’t out of the south for as long as the models said they would be,” he said.
“That being said, the east end of (Erie Shore Drive) is still being hit with water going over the road in two locations. But it’s not nearly as bad as previous events.”
Sandbags and other protective measures could be seen along several of the properties to help mitigate the flooding.
With the wind predicted to switch to the west and northwest in the late evening and overnight period Wednesday into Thursday, winds were expected to drive waves onto the Lake St. Clair shoreline in Chatham-kent and Lakeshore.
“We expect to be monitoring shoreline flooding in Lighthouse Cove overnight. Right from one lake to another,” Homewood said. “Once we get wind a bit further out of the west, (Erie Shore Drive) will be fine, it will be Lighthouse Cove’s turn.”
People are asked to use caution around the water at this time.
The Essex Region Conservation Authority also has a flood watch in effect for the Erie shoreline, including Pelee Island.
Potential areas of that jurisdiction most affected by the winds are the south and west shorelines of Pelee Island, the western shoreline of Point Pelee National Park, the shoreline of the Municipality of Leamington west of the park, and along the shorelines of Kingsville, Essex and Amherstburg.
“These sustained winds are expected to temporarily lower the lake level within the western basin of Lake Erie; however, there is a potential for flooding, waves overtopping, splashing and spray, and nearshore erosion as a result of the increased wave activity,” the Essex Region Conservation Authority stated.
“There is also the potential for breakwall damage in the area of direct wave attack.”
In Windsor a large tree came down in the 1600 block of Felix Avenue, damaging a boat, shed and garage. In the 2200 block of Elsmere Avenue a tree came down on some power lines, starting a fire and knocking out power in the area. A large tree also came down on a house on Windermere Road in Walkerville.
The Town of Lakeshore was investigating numerous reports of trees, hydro poles and transformers down in Belle River, and there were isolated power outages reported in other Southwestern Ontario communities.