City urges residents to clear snow from catch basins to avoid flooding

TORONTO – City crews are working hard Monday to stave off the risk of flooding as the warm temperatures begin to melt the mountains of snow left by Friday’s storm.

Crews are clearing catch basins and sewers in an effort to prevent widespread flooding but warn that the amount of snow that fell during the storm is making it difficult to find the areas that need to be cleared.

The city and Mayor Rob Ford are urging people to clear catch basins near their homes to help prevent flooding.

A massive winter storm that made its way through the Greater Toronto Area Friday brought with it between 25 cm and 40 cm of snow in local areas throughout the region.

As temperatures are expected to hit almost six degrees Celsius Monday, much of that snow is quickly melting.

“We have all available crews within transportation services deployed to clear catch basins, move snow, relocate snow from the roadways and try to get passage for water into the catch basins,” Hector Moreno of Toronto Transportation Services said.