TORONTO, ON — A major highway, several thoroughfares, and a key transit hub were flooded in Canada's largest city on Tuesday after torrential rain hit Toronto, while power outages were reported in multiple areas.
Toronto police said part of the Don Valley Parkway, which runs from the north part of the city into the downtown area, was closed due to flooding. They also said part of Lakeshore Boulevard, which runs along Lake Ontario, was flooded and closed.
Toronto Fire Services said they rescued 14 people from flooding on the highway.
“We’re actively rescuing people that are trapped in their cars or on top of their cars,” Deputy Fire Chief Jim Jessop told reporters Tuesday afternoon. “We are triaging based on life safety.”
Tima Nizomov was among those who got stranded on the DVP. The 26-year-old said he had to wait in his BMW, with water around him, until firefighters came to rescue him.
“A lot of water came but ... my car is stuck and that’s it,” he said, recalling his decision to stay in his vehicle as water rose around him. “Firefighters helped me.”
At the heart of the downtown core, there was flooding at Union Station, a key transit terminus. Water was seen pooling on the floor of a main concourse and stores at the station were closed. Parts of the underground PATH network, which has retail and restaurants and connects to Union, were also closed due to flooding, and stores lost power for a time.
Subway trains were not stopping at Union, the Toronto Transit Commission said Tuesday afternoon, while several transit buses and streetcars were making detours on their regular routes across the city due to localized flooding.
Billy Bishop Airport, which is located on the Toronto Islands minutes from downtown, said its pedestrian tunnel had been closed due to flooding, with passengers directed to take the ferry over to the airport.
Flooding was also disrupting life in many other parts of the Greater Toronto Area, with the provincial police warning of flooding on parts of highways and local police forces urging caution.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority issued a flood warning and said that shorelines, rivers, and streams in the Greater Toronto Area should be considered dangerous.
Environment Canada had issued rainfall warnings for the Greater Toronto Area and much of southern Ontario as a mix of heavy rain and thunderstorms moved across the region.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority said more than 100 mm of rain had fallen in pockets across Toronto.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said the number of affected Toronto Hydro customers was down to about 109,000 as of late Tuesday afternoon.
