'I think this is the worst year ever': severe storm hits Southern Ontario, including Barrie.

Unprecedented storm hits Simcoe County Heavy rain and flooding forces the closure of several roads in the community of Belle Ewart.

Barrie — Heavy rain forced the closure of several roads in the community of Belle Ewart in Innisfil, and in some cases, people were not able to leave their homes.

Fernando Vencez has lived in the area for 10 years. He says it's never been this bad.

"I'm going to have to put an insurance claim in, says Vencez, "I can't get access to my belongings. My shed is so flooded, my yard is so flooded."

Another resident in the area says he's used to seeing this every year, "but by the looks of it, I think this is the worst year ever."

Crews with the town worked throughout the day pumping water out of the affected areas.

The threat of heavy rain and possibly freezing rain tonight and into tomorrow could pose a risk to power lines.

Alectra Utilities is reminding everyone to be at the ready.

"The first thing you want to do is stay safe, what is the cause for the outage, is it widespread? isolated to their area?" said Sean Guedes, digital communications specialist, Alectra Utilities

Alectra Utilities says in case of an emergency, extra crews are on standby. If you see a downed powerline, you're reminded to stay back at least 10 metres and contact 9-1-1.

In the case of a power outage, fire officials are urging residents to be prepared for 72 hours and pack an emergency safety kit.

Emergency kits should include food, water, a manual car opener, flashlight, first-aid-kit, relevant family documents and an emergency plan.