Windsor and Tecumseh are both under states of emergency after heavy rainfall flooded the region — and more rain is still in the forecast.
Over 190 mm (7.5 inches) of rain fell in Tecumseh since 9pm on Wednesday while in Windsor, 80 mm (3.1 inches) of rainfall was recorded with 56 mm (2.2 inches) of that recorded from 2am on Thursday. Environment Canada forecasts a further 40-70 mm (1.5-2.7 inches) of rainfall for the region tonight and into tomorrow.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens declared the state of emergency for the city at a news conference held at about 3:30pm on Thursday.
"The fact of the matter is here we have more water than we can handle," says Dilkens. "It's more water than any system, if you were in any city in Canada, would be able to handle."
.@CityWindsorON declares State of Emergency after "significant rain event" described as worse than a 1 in 100 year storm #sx
— Ricardo Veneza (@RicardoVeneza) September 29, 2016
Dilkens expects the state of emergency will grab the attention of the provincial government and help bring in provincial assistance.
"This storm and the affects of this storm are beyond the reasonable capacity of the city to handle," says Dilkens. "Quite frankly it's unfair for residents to have to continue to go through this type of event and there's nothing as a city we feel we can do more of."
Dilkens says for those residents without insurance, there is a provincial program known as Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians. He hopes with the state of emergency declared, the province will move quickly to do its assessment of the area so qualifying residents will be able to access money through the program to repair damage caused by the flooding.
"I've had this [flooding] happen myself, so I understand this is a very uncomfortable situation, I understand this is a very costly situation," says Dilkens. "We're here to help."
The city says the 311 call service it operates has been inundated with over 700 calls coming in today related to basement and general flooding. The service is being topped up with staff to handle the call volume which has tripled as residents phone in largely to address flooding concerns. Hours for the service are being stretched to 11pm instead of the usual 7pm.
Dilkens stresses all treatment facilities are operational and all pumps are working. He says there was a pump that went down at the Little River Pollution Control Plant for a couple of hours, but a back-up pump kicked in and kept the system running normally. The problem has since been fixed.
The heavy rain is pushing the city's systems to the limit as even the overflow tanks used to contain excess water has overflown and won't likely be able to be drained before more rain hits the region.
Dilkens adds there is a way residents can help mitigate some of the flooding problems.
"We're just asking people to be considerate. When there is a heavy rain event, please limit the time you would take a shower, if you can use the toilet more than once before you flush," says Dilkens. "Try and be careful about how much water you're putting down the drain because it actually does impact your neighbours and the type of flooding we see, so we're just asking people to be considerate that way."
The city is also recommending fans heading to the Windsor Spitfires hockey game tonight take a specific route to avoid more heavily flooded areas. Puck-drop is set for 7:05pm.
Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara announced the state of emergency for the town through a news release this afternoon.
The town is asking residents to not call 911 for basement flooding issues, but rather to visit the town's website to submit the necessary information.
LIVE on #Periscope: News conference at Windsor City Hall regarding flooding in the region. https://t.co/Wt1CAz4f8r— Ricardo Veneza (@RicardoVeneza) September 29, 2016
