Severe Storm Causes Damage in Vaughan, Cleanup Underway

A severe thunderstorm on Wednesday caused significant damage in Vaughan, and Mayor Steven Del Duca announced that crews are actively working to restore order.

The storm knocked down hydro poles, uprooted trees and branches, submerged vehicles in water, and caused electrical issues throughout the area north of Toronto, according to Del Duca’s post on the social media platform X on Thursday. The storm also led to some fires, he noted.

“I know the last 24 hours have been difficult for many families in Vaughan,” Del Duca said.

“Thank you for your continued patience as our crews work as quickly and safely as possible to clean up our community and address the remaining impacts of the storm.”

In a news release on Thursday, the city reported that Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service responded to over ten times their usual call volume on Wednesday night, with 113 incidents reported, including fires, submerged vehicles, and medical emergencies. Thankfully, no serious injuries were reported.

The city also noted receiving more than 140 service requests regarding flooding and debris on roadways along with over 150 calls related to fallen trees. Many trees and branches fell down across Woodbridge specifically.

Most roads that had been closed or flooded have now reopened as well.

Major Sinkhole Closes Part of Huntington Road

A large sinkhole has resulted in the closure of Huntington Road at Trade Valley Drive and also north of Rutherford Road.

Two trucks are shown here on Huntington Road north of Trade Valley Drive in Vaughan after the storm. It appears that a section of the road has collapsed into a creek below. (CBC)

York Regional Police confirmed they are aware of damage affecting Huntington Road north of Trade Valley Drive where two trucks were involved.

No injuries were reported from this incident either.

The city mentioned it has received reports about water pooling on roads near Martin Grove and Langstaff roads while crews head out to investigate further.

Tree Clearing Efforts Expected to Last Days

Meanwhile, teams are still working hard to clear away uprooted trees and broken branches, with efforts expected to continue over the next few days according to city officials.

“To help manage the high volume of service requests, additional crews and contractors have been brought in with more likely being added as they become available,” stated the city.

Alectra Utilities indicated that by 1 p. m. Thursday power was restored for customers in Vaughan who had lost electricity due to the storm’s impact.

Rocco Napoli lives in a suburb of Vaughan’s southwest end and is currently assessing damage after a large tree fell onto his home.

“Right now, it looks like it could be a few broken trusses, some shingle damage. I’m not sure if it punctured a hole in the house yet.”

‘I Want This Tree Off My House’: Resident

Napoli expressed his desire to move forward from this situation quickly.

“I want to get this tree off the house,” he said.Rocco Napoli, who lives in a Vaughan suburb in the city’s southwest end, said he is assessing damage to his home after a large tree toppled onto it. (Yan Theoret/CBC)Pushant Prashar is visiting family from England when he experienced frightening weather conditions.

Prashar shared that his relatives faced power outages along with lost Wi Fi service while dealing with some flooding issues too.

“It was mad almost-a huge amount of rain came down all at once followed by strong winds. Now we see trees getting hit everywhere; neighbors nearby had their trees uprooted too-it was absolute chaos.”

Prahshar mentioned feeling anxious due. to alerts ringing through his phone.

“Hopefully everyone will get back to normal soon enough,” he remarked.

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