Toronto cleans up after storm as Trudeau says better infrastructure needed for future

TORONTO (AP) — Cleanup crews worked to get Canada’s largest city back to normal on Wednesday, a day after torrential rain caused flooding. from Toronto main roads and left thousands of people without power.

On the outskirts of Toronto, flooding temporarily closed several major roads and left motorists stranded. Authorities said that rescued at least 14 people of flooding on the Don Valley Parkway.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called Tuesday’s flooding “a significant event” and said the city and surrounding area need to be prepared for similar disruptions in the future with better infrastructure.

“With climate change, there will be more extreme weather events,” he said at a press conference in Toronto on Wednesday.

Tuesday’s deluge also wreaked havoc on commuters, with major flooding closing several major routes as well as Toronto’s Union Station, Don Valley Parkway and Lake Shore Boulevard. They have all since reopened after the floodwaters dispersed.

There were no reports of injuries, but the scale of the disruption was evident in a series of images showing devastated roads with cars nearly submerged in water.

In Mississauga, flooding forced the evacuation of about 113 residents of the Tyndall long-term care home, the fire service said.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority said water levels in the Don River are falling as cleanup continues, but caution is still needed in all bodies of water.

The authority said in a statement that some rivers in the Greater Toronto Area are still experiencing higher flows due to Tuesday’s heavy rains, causing dangerous conditions including slippery and unstable banks. At the height of the storm, more than 100 millimeters (4 inches) of rain fell in certain areas, he said.

Influential Canadian rapper Drake was among the many Toronto residents affected by the extreme weather, taking to Instagram to share a video of ankle-deep brown water flooding a room in his mansion.