Media briefing expected Tuesday morning
The City of St. Catharines has declared a state of emergency.
This comes after rainfall once again hammered the city, bringing more than 157mm of rain in a 48-hour stretch between Sunday and Monday of the Civic Holiday Long Weekend.
This is the second major rainfall in a week for St. Catharines, which saw nearly 140mm in a 24-hour window last Monday as well, with many resident reporting flooding in their homes, streets and on highways.
The city says the declaration is a proactive step to ensure it has all the tools its needs to access emergency resources more quickly if needed, and respond without delay should conditions worsen.
Based on inspections completed to date, flooding was predominantly the result of the extraordinary volume and intensity of rainfall.
Mayor Mat Siscoe says the level of rainfall is nearly impossible to contain, regardless of the infrastructure in place.
Siscoe adds that some of the scenes he's seen from residents across the city and other parts of the region still don't feel real.
Municipal crews have inspected affected areas and, while localized concerns continue to be investigated, there has been no indication that a single blockage or isolated infrastructure issue was responsible for the widespread flooding. The Niagara Region has indicated the same for their infrastructure, and says their water and wastewater infrastructure is operating normally.
Meanwhile, Niagara Region is making it easier for residents to clean up after recent flooding.
Curbside garbage limits have been lifted for flood-related cleanup waste until August 14 on your regular collection day.
There is no limit on the number of large items residents can put out, and no advance booking is needed for flood waste.
Residents can also place flood-related garbage at the curb between August 10 and 14, even if it’s not their regular garbage collection week.
(Written by: Matt Latour)