More prep needed as flood frequency rises, Councillors argue

THUNDER BAY – Councillors representing two flooded areas of the city insist there needs to more preparation for the frequency of intense weather events.

Parts of the Northwood and McKellar wards experienced significant surface flooding after a deluge of 92 millimetres of rain from two different rain storms descended on Thunder Bay throughout Saturday.

Northwood Coun. Shelby Ch’ng knows this isn’t new for many residents in her ward.

“I think constituents are really getting tired of having water in their basements,” she said on Monday.

“It’s anger. It’s frustration. It’s despair. It’s hard witnessing it.”

The Saturday rain resulted in significant flooding along busy arterial roadways such as Memorial Avenue and Waterloo Street, also leaving the Intercity area neighbourhood along Ontario Street under water.

According to the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, the amount of rain that fell this weekend was not far from the total from the May 2012 storm, which was labelled a once in a 100 years event by climate scientists and meteorologists, when 108 millimetres fell and overwhelmed city infrastructure leaving a wake of devastation.

McKellar Coun. Paul Pugh acknowledged the frequency of these major storms is on the rise, as the city has experienced a major flooding event in a four-year cycle since 2008. 

“I’m not qualified to say that but it’s my subjective feeling it’s out of date,” Pugh said of viewing these storms as a once in a century occurrence.

“I think we’re going to be seeing more and more of these and we need to consult with other jurisdictions to see what we can do to as best we can deal with the severity of the weather we’re facing.”

The Northwood Mall parking lot found itself under water Saturday morning and a photo of people canoeing in the temporary lake has gone viral across social media.

It was also submerged during the 2012 flood.

“They’re a huge taxpayer in this city and yet I don’t think business can afford to flood every four years,” Ch’ng said.