Toronto Firefighters Rescue People From Vehicles Amid Flooding; Thousands Without Power After Heavy Rain

Cars are partially submerged in flood waters in the Don Valley following heavy rain in Toronto, on July 16 2024. The Canadian Press/Arlyn McAdorey

Thousands of households lost power in the Toronto area following heavy rains in the afternoon of July 16. Floods led to widespread road closures, with many vehicles submerged in water on the roads.

At least 14 people were rescued by the Toronto Fire Services (TFS) on city roads, including from their vehicles. The fire service said one person was rescued from inside a vehicle, and another from the roof of a car.

“TFS has been responding to an extremely high number of rescues related to flooding and elevator entrapments,” the TFS said in a post on X.

The Don Valley Parkway, which connects the northern part of the city into the downtown area, was closed due to flooding, Toronto Police said, as was Lakeshore Boulevard, which runs along Lake Ontario. Many cars have been stranded on the road, with some of them partially submerged in water.

The City of Toronto said in a press release later in the day that as of 5:30 p.m. local time, the police continued to respond to hazard calls, primarily to assist people stuck in elevators and flooding.

Drivers stranded due to flood waters blocking the Don Valley Parkway are rescued by fire crews following heavy rain in Toronto, on July 16, 2024. The Canadian Press/Arlyn McAdorey

Union Station’s York Concourse is pictured during a flood following heavy rain in Toronto, on July 16, 2024. The Canadian Press/Arlyn McAdorey

Toronto Hydro said it is responding to widespread outages and is working with Hydro One to restore power. An outage map provided by the company late afternoon still showed thousands without power. The number of affected customers previously reached around 167,000 in the early afternoon, according to city officials.

Hydro One said that it is investigating the issue, and that it will provide updates as more information becomes available. However, there is not an estimate of time when power will be restored.

The Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) said several of its subway stations were closed, and many streetcar and bus routes were out of service. However, surface transit is now coming back online, the city said in late afternoon.

In downtown Toronto, flooding occurred at Union Station, a major transit hub. Videos posted on X by residents show commuters crowding at the station and water pouring down the stairs. The flooding has affected access to several areas of the facility, including the food court, and staff continue to pump water out, city officials said in the release.

Toronto Island and many low-lying waterfront parks also had flooding, but the impact is unknown until the water recedes, according to the city.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow told reporters at a press conference that Toronto Emergency Management (TEM) is monitoring the situation and that emergency services have not been impacted so far. 

“Please be safe. Don’t drive on flooded roads and stay away from streams and rivers, shorelines,” she said.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) said that “extremely heavy rain” was forecasted for the City of Toronto, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, Markham, Mississauga, Brampton, and  Halton Hills–Milton.

“Some of TRCA watersheds have already received 10-70mm of rain over the 3 hours. As a result, some low-lying areas have been flooded,” the TRCA said.

TRCA recommended residents avoid all shorelines, rivers, and streams within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), warning against higher flows and changing water levels. It also said to expect pooling of water in low-lying areas, especially in those with poor drainage.

“Additionally, the ground is saturated, and any additional forecasted precipitation will run off, leading to rising water levels in water bodies and watercourses within the TRCA jurisdiction,” the authority said.

Mississauga Fire said it deployed all rescue teams to respond to calls throughout the city, and that they were checking around 50 cars on Queen Frederica Drive to make sure nobody was stranded.

“There is extreme flooding throughout streets, residences, businesses and apartment buildings,” said District Chief Rutka in a video posted on X as water ran down a street behind him.

In a statement issued in the afternoon, the City of Mississauga said that although the rain had ended, localized flooding was still occurring across the city, and that city crews were responding to a high volume of service requests.

“It will take some time for the flooding to subside,” the city said.

The city said a number of roads, parks, trails, and recreational centres were closed, and that staff would monitor conditions for reopening and give an update Wednesday.

Environment Canada had earlier issued a rainfall warning for the GTA and much of southern Ontario, saying the rainfall could be up to 125 millimetres for parts of the GTA.

The rainfall warning has been lifted, but rain could persist into the evening and after midnight, with a 30 percent chance of showers and risk of thunderstorms, according to Environment Canada.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.