Flood aftermath remains visible along St. Catharines, Ont., streets with debris piled up at curbsides.
Household items like couches, mattresses, and drywall are outside homes, illustrating the impact of recent severe storms in less than two weeks.
Mayor Mat Siscoe highlighted that the city faced three major storm events, the most significant in quick succession within 11 to 12 days.
Siscoe explained that while the first storm was managed by the stormwater system, subsequent storms occurred on saturated ground, overwhelming the system’s capacity.
This resulted in widespread overland flooding and sewage backups into homes, with instances of sewage entering residences, according to Siscoe.
‘They’re back under water again’
Despite recent storms submerging Dave White’s White Orchard Farms near St. David’s, where he grows garlic, he managed to save his crops due to timely harvesting.
White took proactive measures based on previous experiences to ensure his fields could handle excess water, including trenching to redirect water flow, a strategy adopted over the past few years.
White, who also runs a restoration company, noted a surge in requests from homeowners affected by the floods in recent weeks.
Some homes were flooded multiple times, with residents exhausting efforts to pump out water before subsequent storms hit, leading to repeated water damage crises.
White expressed concern that without substantial investments in drainage sewage infrastructure upgrades to accommodate urban expansion, flooding incidents will escalate.
System built 150 years ago
Siscoe emphasized that the flooding wasn’t due to specific infrastructure failures but rather an overwhelmed system grappling with historical challenges.
He highlighted a national trend, citing Statistics Canada data indicating significant portions of water and wastewater infrastructure across Canada are in poor condition.
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