Heavy rain in the Kingston area causes plenty of flooding problems

Kingston’s Dalton Avenue, near the 401, looked more like Lake Ontario Monday.

It was just one of several streets that were impassable because of unprecedented rainfall that began Sunday night.

In just a few hours the city received over one hundred millimetres of rain — more than twice the normal rainfall amount for the month of July.

“There’s some places we have to clear grates and clean some catch basins to make sure it can get into the system — but for the most part, it’s just a matter of waiting it out right now,” said Kingston Public Works Manager Damon Wells. “It will dissipate, it will get away but unfortunately, it came so fast it created a lot of significant issues.”

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Kingston Police had to put up barriers at the Gardiners Road underpass to stop vehicles from going through waist-deep water.

One motorist ignored the barriers and paid the price.  His vehicle stalled and a police officer had to guide him to safety.  The driver was charged, according to Kingston Police.

Wells also wants to remind the public that closing roads is about safety for everyone.

“If you get stuck there then you need emergency response people to come and assist you to get you out, that’s one more call that maybe they didn’t have to get to.”

Conservation authorities across the region coped with flooding, issuing a flood watch in the Brockville area and a flood warning is now in effect around Charleston Lake.

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1:39 Ontario farmers trying to salvage crops after flooding

As for the Kingston area, Krista Fazackerley of the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority said they have issued a flood outlook statement.

“We’re not going to see widespread flooding but expect it in low-lying areas like we saw in the urban flooding of the streets today.”

Monday’s heavy rain fall did pose travelling problems for some, but others found some creative ways to get around and even help out others.

Video sent to CKWS TV shows a Bed Bath and Beyond employee using the store’s inflatable paddle board to reach a stranded motorist to offer assistance at the Rio Can Centre.