Crews are continuing to work to remove a large ice jam in the Credit River in Brampton, Ont., after a neighbourhood was flooded on Thursday.
In a series of tweets on Sunday afternoon, the city’s mayor, Patrick Brown, said water levels “continue to improve in the area.”
“There are 2 excavators and 6 dump trucks on scene working to remove the large ice (chunks) on the south side of the bridge along Creditview Road,” he tweeted.
The flooding occurred in the Churchville Road and Steeles Avenue West area, near the Credit River.
At the peak of the flooding, officials said water was around five or six feet deep in some areas. A total of 100 homes were evacuated.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Michael Parks, director for Brampton roads and maintenance operations, said the major cause of flooding was ice breakup from the excessive rain on Thursday.
Parks said the water flow brought the large chunks of ice to a particular “elbow” in the Credit River and then the ice backed up and flooded the community.
On Saturday, Brampton Fire Chief Bill Boyes said that crews were making progress, and that the remaining residents who had been displaced by the flooding would be allowed back temporarily to assess the damage to their homes.
Yet Boyes said crews were still concerned about possible “future flooding.”
On Sunday, Brown said “specialized contractors” are at the scene, and are now assessing the ice jam to “determine next steps as the temperature/precipitation increases over the next 48-72 hours.”
According to Brown, the goal is to “conduct a detailed assessment of the ice jam” and to “start working to reduce it” on Monday.
On Saturday, Parks said three locations where water was entering the neighbourhood had been identified.
Parks said by 11 a.m. Saturday morning, a pump had been installed at one of the locations, and water was “flowing freely as designed” at the second site.
A second pump was on its way to be installed at the third location, he said.
In a tweet Sunday, Brown said Brampton Fire command staff, the Brampton Fire and Emergency Services Water Rescue team, representatives from the Brampton emergency management office and public works are now at the scene and will be over the next few days.
According to Brown, Khalsa Aid Canada is preparing sandbags at the Susan Fennel Recreation centre in case they are needed in the coming days.
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