Parts of Edmonton’s Yellowhead Trail were flooded after an early morning storm on Wednesday. Police issued a warning about the underpasses between 97 Street to 184 Street around 2:30 a.m. Three vehicles were seen nearly submerged at the 127 Street and 127 Avenue underpass when CTV News Edmonton was at the scene around 4 a.m. Firefighters used a boat to rescue a person from one of the vehicles, one of about 12 rescues Edmonton Fire Rescue Services performed on Yellowhead Trail. That intersection was closed to traffic, but police also advised commuters and transit users to seek alternate routes and expect delays. “Work is underway clearing the flooded areas. Once the water is removed, vehicles will be towed, surfaces will be swept of debris, and crews will conduct inspections to identify any necessary repairs and ensure the infrastructure is safe for reopening,” the City of Edmonton said in a statement. Flood mitigation being upgraded Edmonton’s north side was hit significantly worse by the storm than its south side. Weather stations across the north side recorded between 20 and 60 millimetres of rain, while most on the south side didn’t record any precipitation at all. The weather station that recorded the most rain, 62 millimetres, is located in the Cumberland area. The city says “significant improvements” to drainage infrastructure around Yellowhead Trail are being made while it is converted into a freeway. Mayor Andrew Knack called this year’s flooding events an example of the importance of a $1.6-billion flood mitigation program that council greenlit in 2019. “We saw the changing weather patterns. We knew that a one-in-100-year flood 20 years ago is now a one-in-20-year or one-in-10-year flood,” he told CTV News Edmonton during an interview Wednesday morning. “(The work) has got at least another eight years to go, but we’re actually in much better shape than a lot of other major cities because we’ve been doing this so far in advance.” Other rain impacts 103 Street was also closed as of 6:30 a.m. between 98 and 99 Avenues due to a watermain break. Dickinsfield residents also reported flooding in their homes and backyards. Ivan Romanchak and his father were woken up around 2 a.m. by the storm and found water in their basement. Just as the 22-year-old was falling asleep again, he heard a gurgle from the bathroom. “Next thing you know, it’s completely flooded. Like, to my ankle,” he recalled during an interview with CTV News Edmonton at 8 a.m. “We go outside and everything is flooding. Like, our entire alleyway…. If you were to step out there, it’d probably go up to your chest.” He said he and his brother rode bicycles through the water to warn their neighbours, but many of whom were already up, dealing with their own flooded basements. The mayor recommended Edmontonians request a free flood prevention assessment from Epcor. “We can upgrade all of our infrastructure … but there can still be risks in your own personal property if it’s not set up. So if you haven’t done any grading in the last 30 years, it might be time to do a flood mitigation prevention call to see what upgrades you can do on your property to help protect it while we’re working on all the public infrastructure.” The roof of a school in the neighbouring community of Glengarry, Killarney School, was also damaged in the storm. Because of the roof as well as flooding inside the school, staff and families have been asked to stay away while the division assesses the damage. With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Nicole Lampa
