Heavy Rain Lashes Toronto, Disrupts Daily Life – WE News English

TORONTO: Torrential rain in Toronto has flooded Canada’s largest city causing power breakdown, disrupting traffic and forcing airlines to stop flight operations.

Environment Canada reported that the city received almost 100mm of rain on Tuesday, breaking the record set in 1941.

Toronto Hydro, the local power distribution company, said it was trying to restore the electricity disrupted by flooding at a transmission station.

Meanwhile, Billy Bishop Airport said a pedestrian tunnel leading to the passenger terminal was flooded and closed temporarily.

The Toronto Transit Commission, which operates subway, bus and trolley services, said trains were bypassing Union Station, the main terminal. Go Transit, which operates train services in Toronto said the flooding caused some disruptions.

Parts of the Don Valley Parkway, a major highway in Toronto resembled a river soon after the rains started.

Meteorologist Dave Phillips said the city had 25 per cent more rain in three hours than normal in the whole month of July. Authorities said 14 people had to be rescued while several people were trapped in lifts after many areas of Toronto lost power.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow in a briefing claimed emergency services were not affected but there was some water in parts of City Hall.

However, despite rain and flooding trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange proceeded as normal.

Weather experts say intense rainstorms across the globe are becoming more common because of climate change, putting a heavy burden on infrastructure as many cities in the world are not designed to handle heavy, sustained downpours.