With warmer temperatures expected on Tuesday, Brampton and the GTA have been put under a new weather warning from Environment Canada.
The Credit Valley Conservation Authority issued a flood warning for Brampton that will remain in effect until Wednesday.
This comes after the Churchville area in Brampton, located at Steeles Avenue W. and Churchville Road, saw damaging floods last Thursday caused by ice damming on the Credit River.
Brampton’s emergency crews worked through the weekend to get the neighbourhood back to normal.
“We have three major pumps that are running right now making sure that water is removed from low-lying areas and back into the river so it can flow again through its normal water course,” said Rick Bernard, who heads Brampton’s emergency management department.
Georgetown resident Erin Mitterling, 29, told Humber News that her grandmother had to leave her home due to mild flooding.
“I’m in shock of that trauma alone without having to go through the actual motion of relocating somewhere else. My grandmother has lived in the same house her entire life, so for her to leave so abruptly and for such a traumatic reason, is soul-crushing,” Mitterling said.
“You don’t just lose a home. You lose your comfort, your memories, and your state of being,” she said.
Some Churchville residents, like Mitterling’s grandmother, were allowed to return to their homes as of Saturday with more expected to be allowed back in the coming week.
“We still have six houses that still do not have any heat or gas right now,” Bernard told Humber News.
Bernard explained that currently, there is a bend in the river where the ice has gathered and the goal right now is to clear it slowly so as to not create problems for other residents and municipalities.
While crews work on dislodging the ice and getting the area back to a safe environment, Environment Canada issued a weather alert for Tuesday into Wednesday.
The alert indicated that the expected higher temperatures and further rainfall could create more flooding in areas around the GTA.
Further weather problems come into play on Wednesday when the temperatures drop once again with the risk of freezing and turning to ice.
The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority also put parts of the city under a flood warning, especially for areas such as:
- Mimico Creek – Bloor Street West crossing (southeast corner of Islington Avenue and Bloor Street West intersection)
- Humber River – Bloor Street crossing as well as near the Toronto Humber Yacht Club and the Old Mill Rd bridge
- Lower Don – Villiers Street to Cherry Street bridge
On Feb. 21, Chief Bill Boyes of Brampton fire and emergency services took to Twitter to thank the crews who were working hard at getting Churchville back to normal.
Bernard says that while the worst is behind them in Churchville, it’s important to stay vigilant with weather alerts.
“There may be some flooding, but I think with the mitigation efforts that we’ve had across a few days, I don’t think there’s a huge cause for concern for most of the residents in the area right now,” he said.