The rural township of Southwold, southeast of London, Ont., has declared a state of emergency after a reported 145 mm (5.6 inches) of rain fell over two days this week. Speaking with CTV News, Deputy Mayor Justin Pennings said township council had no choice but to request outside help, primarily in the village of Fingal. “On Tuesday, we had a storm that was beyond a one in 100-year rainfall event. This morning, we received a new storm beyond a one in 250-year event,” said Pennings. As firefighters did wellness checks, municipal officials conceded that perhaps dozens of homes in Fingal are flooded. Many residences were surrounded by water for several hours after the heavy rain stopped around 10 a.m. CTV News spoke with several people on the same streets impacted by flooding on Tuesday. All said, the floodwater was higher on Friday. Many have repeatedly questioned whether a $4.5-million storm infrastructure project, designed to improve drainage, is to blame. But Pennings, whose own basement is flooded, stated there is no way to mitigate the situation. He explained the existing system continues to operate during the installation of the new system, which he added could not have handled the extreme rainfall. “The new system would be designed for a one in 100-year storm, at its best. So, no, we would not have with the new system that’s being installed right now, well, it would not have been up to the task.” He added that no system in Ontario could have handled the rainfall amounts. Multiple restoration companies have arrived in Fingal on Friday afternoon. This is a developing story. More details to come.
