Greater Toronto Area recovering after record rainfall, flooding

The Toronto area is recovering after experiencing its rainiest day on record Monday, which caused flooding and power outages throughout the city and in other parts of the region. 

Pearson International Airport reportedly recorded 126 mm of rainfall, beating out the previous record of just over 121 mm recorded during Hurricane Hazel in October 1954.

The Toronto Transit Commission and GO Transit, which services the Greater Toronto Area, both experienced major delays Monday evening, as subway stations, buses and train tracks were flooded. More than a thousand GO customers were also stranded for several hours on one of its commuter trains.

Several major roads, including the Don Valley Parkway, were also flooded, and many flights were also cancelled.

Dramatic photos show parts of Toronto underwater http://t.co/zneq9bHrAR #storify #toronto #stormto

— CTVNews (@CTVNews) July 9, 2013

During the storm Monday night, about 300,000 Toronto homes were without power. As of late Tuesday afternoon, 70,000 Toronto Hydro customers were still without power, the organization said. 

City Mgr Pennachetti reports 1000 calls to city re: basement floods in Toronto. @newstalk1010

— James Moore (@jamesontheradio) July 9, 2013

Its restoration crews were still working to restore power Tuesday. “Due to the current instability of the electrical system, Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited (Toronto Hydro) has been asked to shed load by Hydro One and 50,000 customers have been affected. Load shedding, or planned rotating outages, will continue throughout the afternoon,” it explained in a release.

City services, including most subway and bus services, were mostly back up and running Tuesday morning, although GO Transit continued to experience major delays.

ONGOING RESCUE: 1,000 passengers slowly being rescued by boat from partly submerged #GOTrain after #Toronto flooding pic.twitter.com/DhF09YTC2y

— Simon Ostler (@SimonOstler) July 9, 2013

The flooding comes just weeks after Calgary experienced the worst flooding in its history. Insured loss estimates from that event are still underway, although at least one insurer is estimating claims of about $75 million.

Environment Canada reported Tuesday morning that a few non-severe thunderstorms were expected in Ontario throughout the day and evening.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada is reminding consumers to put safety first. 

“If your home was flooded, turn off electrical breakers for areas that have suffered water damage, but only if it is safe to do so,” said Ralph Palumbo, IBC’s vice president for Ontario. 

#TOFlood coverage questions? Give us a ring: 1-800-387-2880

— IBC (@InsuranceBureau) July 9, 2013

“Sewer backup coverage is usually available and can be purchased as an add-on to policies,” he noted in the statement to Ontario residents. “Consumers should be calling their insurance representative to report their claims and start the clean-up process.

Reach out to neighbours, particularly elderly and those needing assistance,” he added. “Insurers are actively responding to customers to try to get life back to normal as soon as possible.”

[<a href=”//storify.com/weathernetwork/severe-thunderstorms-move-through-southern-ontario” target=”_blank”>View the story “Flooding in the GTA: Your photos” on Storify</a>]