WINDSOR, Ont. – Heavy rainfall in southwestern Ontario has left scores of flooded streets and basements as some areas were hit with more than 200 millimetres of rain in less than 24 hours.
The city of Windsor saw between 45 and 88 millimetres of rain Monday night and got another 50 millimetres by Tuesday afternoon, said Ria Alsen, a severe weather meteorologist with Environment Canada.
The nearby community of LaSalle was the hardest hit, with 125 millimetres of rain Monday and another 160 millimetres on Tuesday, Alsen said.
Several rounds of thunderstorms have made their way through the area since Monday night, but Alsen said the rain should soon begin to taper off.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said the city had received 175 calls of roads flooded across the city and advised people only to drive if necessary.
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He also urged residents to stay out of flooded basements because of electrical hazards and said Edwin Utilities would disconnect the power to the affected residences.
“There have been 150 customers that have been impacted and they’re dealing with folks asking for disconnects one by one,” Dilkens told reporters at a news conference Tuesday evening.
He said the city doesn’t intend to declare a state of emergency.
The Windsor General Hospital’s Metropolitan Campus also had some flooding, Dilkens said, adding a mobile emergency room might be brought in.
The hospital said in a statement online that it experienced significant flooding on the ground floor. The emergency department, patient food services, pharmacy and diagnostic imaging have been affected.
It said rain water was coming up through the drains on the main floor and from the parking lots right into the building.
All patients in the Metropolitan Campus are being reassessed, provided options for care and, if able, sent to the nearby Ouellette campus for care, the hospital said. All ambulances are also being directed to the other hospital campus.
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