Search for those swept away by Ontario floodwaters during storm comes up empty
THE first reports of flooding in southern Ontario are emerging from flooded homes and businesses.
It’s not your garden-variety rain that has flooded homes and businesses.
It’s a historic storm and that’s why residents are calling to find out if they were affected by the flooding they’re seeing as we post updates throughout the day.
It’s why we’re now able to bring you the first in a series of stories we hope will help in the search for those lost in Ontario.
Here is a look at where flooding has been reported.
The first story:
When the deluge came
Sara and Don’s home in the Township of Aurora was flooded.
“We lost power for a couple of weeks. That’s how we knew we were going to experience it. It was quite severe and we still haven’t had power,” Don says of the June 1 storm.
The two have been flooded twice, first in the basement and then more recently in the driveway.
“We lost a lot of stuff,” Sara says. “Everything is wet and moldy in the basement.”
Sara and Don used sandbags to contain their basement.
Don is concerned about the high water gauge and what the water levels will do with their property in the future.
“You can’t even crawl around in it anymore, there’s so much water in the basement. You feel like you’re going to be able to run out, but we’re going to be there,” he says.
The couple’s dog, Nelly, gets a lot of water in and out of the house.
“I don’t know if she will get out of it alive,” Don says. “I just want to make sure I don’t have to get a replacement dog.”
More than 100 homes in the Township of Aurora have been damaged by floodwaters from the Ontario River that overflowed its banks, a problem caused by the May 21 storm and the June 1 rains.
The Ontario River in Aurora Township, a suburb of Kingston, Ont.,