‘This was a lifetime event’: 100-year flood one of the busiest for emergency crews in Mississauga

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Published July 17, 2024 at 3:46 pm

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Yesterday’s 100-year-flood event in Mississauga put emergency responders to the test — from people trapped in vehicles on flooded streets to residents nearly swept away in a creek.

Roads and homes were flooded in the heavy downpours that came with a band of thunderstorms through the area on Tuesday (July 16).

The Mississauga area experienced the highest amount of rainfall in southern Ontario with 122.9 mm recorded at Pearson Airport over Monday and Tuesday, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.

While storms were expected, the volume of rain came as a surprise to many. Before 9 a.m. Tuesday, the forecast was for local rainfall amounts up to 50 mm but that amount was increased and 97.8 mm fell in total at Pearson Airport Tuesday.

The volume of rainfall was unexpected but Mississauga fire crews are ready and trained for these types of emergencies, Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services Chief Deryn Rizzi told INsauga.com.

“The surprise was the quickness of it,” Mississauga Fire Captain Dan Herd told INsauga.com. “But then, it’s, OK, we get a call and we do what we need to do.”

And there was a lot to do.

Platoon Chief Steve Kraft who has 36 years on the job, described it as a day like no other.

“This was a lifetime event,” said Kraft. “If I only worked one day in my career, today would have covered just about every type of emergency incident.”

As the rain fell, call volume started to intensify at 9 a.m., Rizzi said. The calls started to dissipate around 7 p.m.

Mississauga Fire responded to over 160 emergencies during the peak of the emergency incident — between noon and 3:30 p.m., Rizzi said. Any non-urgent calls received during this time, such as a request for information or public assistance aren’t captured in the 160.

“We had so many calls for assistance, we needed to triage our responses based on the criticality of the timeliness of our response,” Rizzi said. “Our dedicated team worked tirelessly, prioritizing calls based on the urgency of each situation and vulnerability of the caller.”

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The City of Mississauga 311 Call Centre got close to 2,000 calls yesterday and there were 150 major weather event service requests, a city spokesperson told INsauga.com. Many residents reported basement flooding and the city expects to get more detailed information on these incidents in the coming days.

It was one of the busiest days for the fire service in terms of 911 calls. The ice storm of 2013 and localized flooding in 2013 had comparative pressures for service, Rizzi said.

There were calls for alarm activations, elevator rescues, motor vehicle collisions with extrication, a burst pipe in a high-rise building, and fire crews conducted welfare checks for citizens/business owners trapped by rapidly rising floodwaters, Rizzi said.

A call to Tyndall Seniors Village, a long-term care and retirement home at 1060 Eglinton Ave. E., was one of the more significant calls as emergency crews worked to carefully evacuate residents and staff.

The Little Etobicoke Creek overflowed flooding the ground floor of the home. All 116 residents were evacuated. The response was methodical and careful due to the vulnerability of the residents. Fire crews were on scene for about 12 hours until around midnight.

Peel Region Paramedics’ acting Deputy Chief Tom Kukolic said the 116 residents were relocated to two long-term care homes and two hotels, and none of them required emergency treatment.

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Another significant call was for two teenagers swept into Cooksville Creek near 1255 North Service Rd., said Rizzi. When they arrived one teen had managed to get herself out but said another person was still in the creek.

“Firefighters started searching on both sides of the creek and we were really concerned,” she said.

But the person also managed to get themselves and their dog out safely.

“We were very thankful to find them alive and safe,” Rizzi said.

In addition to those calls, there were many rescues of people trapped in vehicles stuck on flooded roadways. Most of the calls were in south central Mississauga.

At one point, rescue crews went out to check on approximately 50 cars on Queen Frederica Drive.

All water rescue teams, using four rescue boats, were sent out. In some cases, ladders were used to rescue people in vehicles. Currents, drainage systems that could pull people in and possibly contaminated water had crews taking precautions.

“We needed to use ladders for access because of unknown hazards within the water,” said Herd.

Extra support was needed during the day. Brampton Fire responded to two mutual aid calls for water rescue, and Toronto Fire responded to one mutual aid for water rescue because Mississauga Fire had extended the capacity of their resources at the time the request for assistance was received.

The fire services have mutual aid call agreements and can support each other when needed.

Rizzi emphasized the importance of community safety during flooding events.

“We urge all residents to prioritize their safety. Avoid driving or walking through flooded areas, as the depth and current of the water can be deceptive and dangerous,” she said. “If you need assistance, do not hesitate to call 911. Our firefighters are here to help.”

There were no serious injuries reported in the course of the day, and Rizzi praised the work of fire crews.

“Our team has demonstrated unparalleled dedication and professionalism in responding to the localized flooding incidents. Their technical skills and teamwork have been instrumental in mitigating the impact on our community. I am incredibly proud of their hard work and commitment to keeping Mississauga safe.”

Flooding has historically been the most likely environmental hazard to occur in both southern Ontario, and Canada as a whole. Flooding is expected to become more common as extreme weather events including extreme rainfall occur more frequently in southern Ontario.

There are emergency management plans in place.

Flooding has consistently been amongst the top five hazards in the City of Mississauga and Rizzi assures residents that fire crews are ready if another event happens like this in the future.

“We’ve got them, we’re going to take care of them,” she said.

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The City of Mississauga continues to assess the damage and clean up from yesterday’s storm. A spokesperson said the flooding damaged sinkholes on roads, there was erosion damage along creeks and streams, as well as damage to our parks and trails and trees.

City-owned marinas also sustained some damage.

The city’s Incident Management Team assembled in the morning to provide support and coordination to frontline staff and responders from various city departments.

Frontline staff and the Incident Management Team coordinated efforts between regional partners including the Region of Peel, Peel Regional Police, Peel Regional Paramedic Services, neighbouring municipalities, Credit Valley Conservation, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, Alectra Utilities, Trillium Health Partners, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, and Emergency Management Ontario.

The city will carry out a more detailed assessment of the damage sustained and develop action plans for any more significant repairs required.

Photos: Mississauga Fire and Emergency Services

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