The Township of Southwold, Ont., has declared a state of emergency after an intense rainfall event flooded roads, caused damage to infrastructure, and led to numerous road closures on Friday morning.
Mayor Grant Jones mentioned that around 230 millimeters of rain, which is over 9.2 inches, fell in about 90 minutes in some areas of the township, an amount that the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority noted as surpassing a 250-year rainfall event. Official rainfall totals have not yet been reported by Environment Canada.
“We have a lot of washouts on roads,” Jones said. “We had one car get washed off the road from the flow of the water going across the road. We don’t want injuries, so we want people to be safe.”
The township emphasized that public safety is its top concern and advised residents against driving through flooded roads.
Fingal resident Rachel Wilson captured a photo of the community’s baseball diamond flooded out due to rainfall. (Submitted by Rachel Wilson)
Jones noted that Shedden and Fingal were among the most affected areas, with runoff from nearby fields transforming streets into rivers. He also stated that reports of flooded basements have been coming in, although no injuries had been reported as of Friday afternoon.
“It hit quick and left as quick as it came,” said Doug Medlyn, who runs Medlyn Custom Services, a towing company based in St. Thomas. “Nobody was expecting it.”
Medlyn shared that local municipality workers, volunteer firefighters, and Good Samaritans responded quickly and effectively.
His company rescued about six vehicles from driveways and roads by Friday afternoon; some were in areas not usually prone to flooding. Some vehicles remain stuck in inaccessible locations while others are awaiting transport to assessment facilities, he said.
“[It’s] a lot of the ordinary to see water higher than fire hydrants and halfway up vehicle doors,” he said. “It was raining so heavily you couldn’t even see that there were road washouts and water running across the road.”
Rebecca Churchill shows how deep the water goes on her property after a significant rainfall event in Southwold Township Friday. (Submitted by Rebecca Churchill)
Environment Canada meteorologist Geoff Coulson explained that slow-moving thunderstorms formed along Lake Erie’s north shore early Friday morning, unleashing heavy rainfall between approximately 5:30 and 9:30 a. m.
“The big concern with them was these heavy showers and thunderstorms were very slow moving or almost stationary,” Coulson said. “You get that much rain falling in that short a period of time, and we certainly get impacts.”
While forecasts indicated showers and thunderstorms were likely, Coulson pointed out that the storms intensified and stalled over specific communities causing localized rainfall totals exceeding 100 millimeters in certain areas.
Jones indicated that declaring a state of emergency allows the township access to extra provincial resources if needed while crews continue inspecting roads, culverts, and bridges for hidden damage.
Environment Canada is predicting a 60 percent chance of showers with possible thunderstorms for Saturday. There’s also another chance for showers expected on Monday.
Rainfall caused flooding in the Township of Southwold Friday morning leading to a State of Emergency in the area. (Submitted by Rebecca Churchill)
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