The City of Brantford is under a state of emergency due to rising water levels and the risk of flooding.
An evacuation order was issued for Holmedale, Eagle Place and Old West Brant areas Wednesday morning which has impacted 2,200 homes and up to 4,900 residents.
WATCH: Drone footage shows devastation of Brantford, Ont. flooding
“If they haven’t already, residents in these areas should immediately evacuate north out of the floodplain area of the city,” Brantford Mayor Chris Friel told reporters during a press conference on Wednesday.
“The level and height of the water is something that most people have not seen in this community for a very, very long time.”
Officials said transit buses are available to help those who require transportation at Eagle Avenue and Foster Street, Baldwin and Erie Avenue, Erie and Aberdeen Avenue, St. Paul at Spring Street and Sherwood at Catherine Street.
Residents who require shelter are being asked to go to the Woodman Community Centre at 491 Grey St. or Assumption College at 257 Shellard Ln.
Mayor Friel said pets can be brought to the centre where they will be picked up and sheltered by the Brant SPCA.
Brantford resident Rebecca Dumais told Global News Radio 900 CHML that she found out about the evacuation order after her daughter’s school was closed due to a flood warning.
“I was making my daughter’s lunch when we got the message that she wasn’t going to school. Everything that was out was tossed in a bag and out the door with us,” Dumais said.
WATCH: Brantford resident describes how he came across flooding of basement
“We had lost power first thing this morning as well. So that ended up happening just before we got evacuated. I’m panicking a little bit. I’ve never been in a situation like this. I don’t know what to expect or if our house is going to be affected or not affected.”
Dumais said her family is staying with relatives in St. George but they are unsure when they will be allowed to return home.
WATCH: Kathleen Wynne pledges provincial assistance in response to Brantford flooding
“We got out of the house at 8:45 a.m. this morning. I literally only packed for one night. I’ve never done this. Now I’m thinking, oh my gosh, I need more stuff,” Dumais said.
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Officials said police also went door-to-door early Wednesday to evacuate the following streets: Foster, Cayuga, Aberdeen, Strathcona, Pontiac, Tecumseh, Ontario, Port, Eagle Ave, Robertson, Denver, Baldwin.
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) issued a flood warning for a number of communities, including the City of Cambridge, Township of North Dumfries, Brant County and City of Brantford.
Officials said an ice jam upstream of Parkhill Dam broke away around 2 a.m. Wednesday and caused a surge of water downstream. The water is expected to cause flooding on the Grand River between Cambridge and Brantford.
“Ice jams are dynamic as we have seen today. If the water erodes the ice and finds a good path through, you may see levels drop even though flows are going up,” GRCA director of engineering Dwight Boyd said.
“What happens when the river fills up with ice, is the space where the river will normally flow isn’t available to it, levels come up and it has to find a new path. If ice wasn’t in the river, we wouldn’t being seeing this sort of flooding.”
WATCH: Ice jams buildup cause flooding in Brantford, Ont.
Boyd said the extreme cold temperatures so far this winter and the recent February thaw has played a factor in the flooding.
“The very extended cold weather that we had in late December and early January, we hadn’t seen that severe a sustained cold period for likely a couple of decades and it built very strong blue ice,” Boyd said.
“In some sections of the river, we’re seeing ice that is two feet clear blue ice. Very strong ice and that’s why we’re having difficulties with ice this year.”
READ MORE: Grand River watershed flooding causes several road closures
The conservation authority said the river flow is forecast to peak through Brantford early Wednesday afternoon.
The public is being reminded to exercise caution around all bodies of water including banks adjacent to rivers and creeks.
“Because of the instability and how dynamic the situation is, we cannot guarantee somebody’s safety even if they are in a safe place at that time,” Friel said.
WATCH: Crews work to cleanup ice jam on Cambridge, Ont. street
“So stay away from the river, and it’s not just for today or this afternoon or this evening, that will be for the next couple of days at least.”
Officials said schools in the area were closed for the day and regular transit bus service in the evacuation zone was also halted.
VIDEO: Brantford flooding evacuee describes the scene in the area. The video is courtesy of The Weather Network’s meteorologist Mark Robinson.
Meanwhile, the following closures in Brantford will remain in effect until further notice:
- All City Trails along the River
- Lorne Bridge
- Veteran Memorial Parkway (BSAR)
- Gilikson Road
- Ballantyne from the Spalding off ramp to Spalding Drive entrance to D’Aubigny Park.
- River Road and Birkett Lane are closed from Erie Avenue to Baldwin Avenue
- Grand River Ave from Sterling St to Waterloo Street
- T.B. Costain, Eagle Place Community Centre, 1 Sherwood Drive
Mayor Friel said he compared the current flooding crisis to that of the 1996 ice jam.
“We did not have to evacuate at that point. It was predominantly large pieces of ice and very particular situation. We were at that stage about 45 minutes away from evacuating Eagle Place before the levels started to drop,” Friel said.
Officials said they are monitoring the water levels on an hourly basis and are unsure when residents will be allowed to return home.
“This is a dangerous situation that remains dynamic. We are still looking for possible increases in the rising of the river,” Friel said.
Premier Kathleen Wynne was also expected to visit the affected areas later on Wednesday.