Storm surge from high winds causes damage along Lake Erie shore

Heavy winds leave damage on Lake Erie shore There was significant damage as heavy winds brought storm surge ashore in Norfolk County. Brent Lale explains.

A storm surge in Lake Erie brought waves nearly two metres high to the Norfolk County shore.

“Lake Erie is a shallow lake,” says Catfish Creek Water Management Technician Peter Dragunas. “Winds are predominantly from the west, and that’s why the east basin gets the brunt of the heavy winds.”

That east basin includes Port Dover, which was hit hardest by the storm with waves coming right over the pier.

“Several homes were flooded, and luckily this morning the water has receded,” says Norfolk County OPP Const. Ed Sanchuk.

“Today people are there assessing their homes, and the pier is full of ice as they begin the cleanup,” he adds.

Mother Nature wasn’t kind to Norfolk residents on the weekend. A tree landed on a car and flooding trapped a 77-year-old woman in her home.

Sanchuk says he was disappointed that people were driving around road closed signs, and the fire department had to rescue a 70-year-old man from the lake in St. Williams.

“The gentleman was trapped on the ice, just twenty yards from open water. We are lucky there wasn’t a fatality.”

In Port Bruce, the village is usually susceptible to heavy flooding during storms like this, however this time the ice on the lake helped them

“The ice protected the bluffs and waves from all the action. It didn’t materialize because of the ice, so we’re very fortunate,” says Dragunas.

He adds that it looks like they’ve finally weathered the worst of this wind storm.