As we’ve all seen from watching the news from around the world, flooding can quickly cause irreparable damages and emotional strife to its victims. Surprisingly, even in Toronto, flooding doesn’t always occur in spring or summer months. In February 2009, after record rains, the flood Toronto experienced interrupted daily life for many of its residents. As a result of record high rainfall, record high temperatures, and melting snow in the month of February, these unusual circumstances let to the flood Toronto citizens endured. Prior to 2009, the last flood Toronto experienced was in 1981 where 10 mm of rain fell on the city.
On this fateful day in 2009, the flood Toronto area residents saw included parking lots along the Humber River completely submerged underwater. And, according to Toronto city crews, immense ice churns in the Don River were capable of taking out trees as they rushed down the waterway. As a precaution, Etienne Brule Park was completely closed off to the public. They feared that the areas closest to the river could end up under more than two feet of water.
Another disruption that the flood Toronto citizens encountered was the closing of Union Station, one of the city’s largest transit arteries. As a result of a broken water main, serious flooding occurred and the station had to be evacuated just before 11:00 pm. Floodwaters poured down staircases in Union Station and water was even rushing out of elevator shafts. As if stolen straight from a movie, these unthinkable scenes became real occurrences in the flood Toronto suffered in 2009.