State of Emergency after floods

By Danielle Gagnier

Mayors in Windsor and Tecumseh declared a State of Emergency on Thursday after massive amounts of rainfall.

Both Mayor Gary McNamara and Mayor Drew Dilkens made their declarations in the afternoon on September 29 after close to 200 millimeters of rain fell in their communities. Windsor received over 1000 flood-related calls to its 311 centre during this time.

The streets of Windsor and Tecumseh were flooded for hours, causing extensive damage to the basements and roofs of homes in the area. The Weather Network’s Kevin Yarde says that his hopes and prayers go out to the people in the area.

“We have been talking to homeowners who are more or less devastated,” he said. “The last time we saw this much rain I believe was back in 1981.”

According to Environment Canada, the average amount of rainfall in Windsor for the month of September is 94 millimeters, a number which was almost doubled in just one day, but Yarde says the rain is not over just yet.

“The rain is unfortunately going to continue for the next several days,” he said, “but not as much rain as what we saw Wednesday night into Thursday.”

The flood warning will remain in effect throughout the day on Friday, as another 70 millimeters of rain is expected throughout the day.